A Power's Convergence
by RekkingPride
Summary: Chosen in his time of weakness, Merged Zamasu tries to take control of Naruto's body so that he could enact genocide with a physical body following his own body's destruction. However, things don't work out as planned. Armed with new strength, Naruto deals with Madara, but is accidentally sent to Universe 6, now he must use his unstable power to get back home, or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

Across the ruined landscape of the decaying world that a vicious battle was raging in, a single light, amongst it all, stood strong and bright. Despite everything; including the ignorance and barbarity of the era it was born in.

That light represented truth.

That light represented civilization.

That light represented _justice_.

In spite of the efforts of those that wanted to quench that light, which, if allowed, would breathe new life into every universe in existence, it still survived.

No, it _thrived_.

Was this not the ultimate proof of the superiority of this light? Instead of falling, or even faltering under the intense pressure provided by the barbarians seeking to stop it, it has managed to _thrive_?

Truly, the grace of the gods was almighty, and he; **Zamasu** , was the one and _only_ God in this universe now.

Feeling his face split in a messy grin, which was only made worse thanks to the mutation that had taken over the right side of his face, leaving a disgusting purple slime to replace the smooth green skin that he normally had marking his handsome features, he reveled in his victory.

His appearance was a small price to pay for true _justice_ however. An insignificant price for the gods' final rejection of the ultimate mistake in all of existence.

 _Mortals_.

Always barbaric, always flawed, always vicious, always sadistic, always _disgusting_.

Their mere existence had insulted the one true God of all for the last time, and he would make sure that this would, indeed, be the last time that they could resist his truth. His Gospel.

Inclining his head some, Zamasu narrowed his mismatched eyes at the downed forms of the two _wretched_ saiyan mortals, both from the past in an alternate Earth.

Both crushed under his immeasurable power.

Even when they blasphemed and fused themselves to become that, admittedly, powerful warrior; Vegito, their feeble mortal bodies couldn't retain the fusion. As a result, they diffused, and left themselves wide open for him to **destroy**.

Sharp canines revealed themselves as an insane laughter took hold of him, beyond the scope of ecstasy as he realized that the mortals who had proved to be the architects of his near defeat multiple times were finally vanquished. They were _finished_.

He could cleanse all of the universes as he wanted. To be the _light_ that destroyed injustice everywhere, once and for all.

By committing mass genocide against every mortal in existence. Every. Single. One.

No one could stop him now. Not the earthlings. Not the false gods. Not the saiyans. And most _certainly_ not Son Goku.

Turning his head a bit to the side, his sick grin only grew wider when he took note that the rift through space and time, orchestrated by Goku Black with his scythe, still remained. Still pulsating, ready for him.

Perhaps...was this a sign? A rift that allowed the great and mighty Zamasu to cleanse the scourge of existence; mortals, from other dimensions and univereses?

It could be, and he would keep it in mind. But first, he should finish off the peons before him. Then, once and for all, be rid of this penultimate curse-

" _Zamasu!_ "

The grin on the one who would bring light and truth to the universe fell apart, becoming an ugly snarl that belonged to the face of a demon, not a deity. Not one that stood for justice and truth at the very least.

Turning back to the two downed saiyans, he saw a new challenger emerge, standing between the fallen mortals stood the final barrier he needed to break through in order to make his dream a reality.

The boy that called the two saiyans to this future timeline to begin with, the one who had given Goku Black so much trouble, and still managed to survive despite being so thoroughly outclassed.

Trunks. The son of the saiyan prince; Vegeta.

"I..." the saiyan hybrid was clenching his fists tightly, his blue hair beginning to defy gravity as he took another shaky step forward, the earth underfoot rumbling in his growing power.

When he snapped his head up to glare at the self-proclaimed deity of the universe with righteous fury, his eyes shined with emerald green instead of his standard blue, and a wave of golden energy replaced his normal aura.

" _I won't let you take my future!"_ Trunks roared, an explosion of ki expanding his power beyond the realms of the Super Saiyan, a blue aura within his flaring golden one. The power of Rage giving him the strength to face this overwhelming opponent.

Zamasu merely shook his head, tsking in essence at this mortal's insistence in challenging his betters, but still chose to descend towards the ground with a sick grin.

He was going to enjoy snuffing the last vestiges of mortal resistance.

Far and away from the contestants of that final battle for the future, the gigantic rift through space and time continued to hum ominously in the sky.

* * *

In another world, far and away from conflict between the saiyans and Zamasu, another battle was taking place. Another war for survival.

The Shinobi Alliance was barely holding out against the overwhelming power of the legendary Uchiha Madara, despite their recent gains against his co-conspirator; Uchiha Obito.

Just a few hours earlier that day, with the combined efforts of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Obito was defeated despite being the jinchūriki of the juubi, and the other biju were freed from his control as well, bolstering their overall combat strength.

With the reanimated Hokage fighting alongside them, and the power of these legendary creatures backing them up, they should've been crushing Uchiha Madara, there should'be been no chance for the man to win this war.

And yet, that was exactly what was happening. With the Uchiha patriarch from generations prior managing to not only retrieve all of the biju once again, but even managing to defeat Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke in the process.

To put insult to injury, one of the last members of the Uzumaki clan had his biju and comrade; Kurama, ripped from his seal, leaving him in a comatose state. Skating the line between life and death.

And now; finally, Uchiha Madara was combining his strength with the power of the juubi, becoming it's jinchūriki, giving him the power he needs to enact his final plan and realize his _dream_.

In this desperate time, Naruto's teammate, Haruno Sakura, was barely able to stop the tears from trailing down her cheeks, forced to manually pump his heart just in an effort to keep her blond comrade alive.

"Come on...!" she whispered, desperation cracking her voice as she continued to literally grip the heart in the palm of her hands and put pressure onto it, knowing that she couldn't keep this up forever. "Come _on...!_ "

"Sakura." the strained voice of the Godaime Kazekage; Gaara, came from behind her. "Is he...?"

" _Come on!"_ the student of Tsunade pleaded, exerting pressure onto his heart with her hand deep within the blond's chest, doing her utmost to ignore the sinking feeling within her heart.

His heart was failing. His body was shutting down. And there was absolutely _nothing_ she could do except delay the inevitable.

Uzumaki Naruto, her closest friend and teammate, was dying.

Behind her Gaara narrowed his eyes at the unmoving form of the one whom he counted to be his closest friend, and the one who changed his life for the better. Turning away as he himself ignored the sinking feeling as well, he focused unerringly on his task.

Using the sand to transport the three of them, the Kazekage was focused on finding the bearer of the Yin half of the kyuubi; the Yondaime Hokage, before all was lost.

All he could do until then, was hope that his old friend was doing his best to cling to life.

* * *

"How do you feel, Uzumaki Naruto?"

Naruto raised his head, his spiky blond hair jumping a bit when he moved. "Like I'm dead."

That statement that Uzumaki Naruto posited was given to the floating form of the elderly man in front of him, and was given with a blank stare, of all things.

Despite the flat tone of his voice, this managed to earn a ghost of a smile in the old man's severely wrinkled features. "You're not quite there yet, I assure you. But that wasn't my question; how do you _feel?"_

Blue eyes narrowed faintly, at least before their owner swiveled his neck to glance behind him, his eyebrow twitching at what he saw.

What was once, probably, a serious and stoic spirit hanging behind him in the form of a young man with spiky brown hair and sharp dark eyes, was now casually waving at him with a cheesy smirk.

Bastard was like him more than he'd care to admit.

"Like this is all some weird dream." Naruto finally admitted, turning to face the ancient sage. "But...this isn't, right?"

"Indeed, it isn't." the sage nodded gravely, all traces of humor gone. "I've already informed you about the story of my family, and about the threat that Uchiha Madara poses to your world by following my mother's footsteps...but I have yet to hear what _you_ want to do."

The whiskered shinobi tilted his head, puzzled. "What do you mean, old man? Why do you need to know that, of all things?"

Taking the insulting way that the young man referred to him with in stride, aware that he meant nothing by it, he elaborated a bit. "It will help me to decide how I should proceed. Please, it's important."

Huffing, the spiky-haired youth took a step back to consider the question, lips tightening together.

"Well..." he started. "With all of the shinobi villages like this, isn't this the best time to try and focus our energies to make the shinobi world a better place? I mean, there should be a lot of goodwill after everyone has fought shoulder-to-shoulder like this. And if Madara has proved anything, it's that even the best and most powerful will start a war in an effort to change the worst aspects of it. I mean, I'm sure that there's more to it, but those issues might _actually_ get resolved if we all tried, ya know?"

The sage didn't miss a beat. "So you wish to promote peaceful dialogue between the nations?"

"Yeah, kinda." blue eyes flew to meet the god-like eyes of the _Rinnegan_. "I'm not singing Madara's praises or anything, but this war brought us all together, might as well take advantage of it, right? While we are still _shinobi_ instead of Konoha, Suna, Kiri, and more. We're empathetic to one another for the first time...like _ever_. I say we do as much as we can with it dattebayo!"

Flinching, the blond's cheeks grew hot as he turned away. "Damn it, kaa-chan..."

Behind him, the spirit of Asura eagerly nodded his head towards his father, eyes as wide as his smile. Displaying his approval.

Hagoromo cracked another small smile at his son's exuberance.

Throughout the ages, following the deaths of the both of his sons, their wills had been passed on from generation to generation within their respective clans.

However, the _spirit_ that they embodied were passed onto specific individuals throughout history, carrying the weight of their ideals in their lives.

They weren't reincarnated, each one of these individuals were their own person who lived their own lives, and had their own versions and interpretations of their ancestor's ideaologies.

Most of them never reached their pinnacle, as what would be expected during the overwhelmingly dangerous Warring States era, where children were thrown into battle with little-to-no preparation or training.

Men and women, boys and girls alike beared the will of Asura and Indra, and all of them hoped to change the world for the better, into one that coincided with their ideaologies.

Only one generation has actually managed to reach full maturity. And, as expected, their influence had changed _everything._

Hashirama and Madara, the last generation's inheritors of the wills of Asura and Indra.

All anyone needed to do was look at the war that was raging outside of Naruto's mindscape to see just how powerful their influence was.

Now a new generation has followed in _their_ footsteps, and the sage had to make a choice.

Even now, after a little bit more than a millennium, the old man still couldn't agree to Indra's philosophy. If anything, he felt that his oldest son's influence had done more harm than good to the world. Even if it harmed him to admit to his own son's faults.

However, he couldn't help but feel that the choice to make Asura his heir was exactly what sparked this brotherly feud, and thus, this spiritual feud in the modern day.

If he gave Uzumaki Naruto his favor now, like he did Asura, would he continue this feud into the future?

Or...should he give his favor to the _both_ of them?

Stuck in indecision for a moment, the sage was about to question the young man in front of him about his opinion in regard to the one whom Indra had passed his will to.

At least right until he snapped to head up, sensing something in the outside world that genuinely made his skin crawl.

An energy, every bit as sick and twisted as his mother's ever was, but in terms of power...was beyond even her own.

Hagoromo shivered.

Just what was going on out there?

* * *

How? How was this possible?

Zamasu couldn't believe what was happening to him, he refused to.

And yet, as the bright blue blade carried by Trunks finished slicing through the center of his face, he knew it to be true.

Especially when his body began to disintegrate into energy, losing his physical form under the weight of the ki flowing through Trunks' blade.

Where? Where did he receive this power from!?

The deity couldn't understand it!

Right before his eyes lost it's form, they swiveled towards where the last traces of spirit energy was flowing from, eyes widening at what he saw.

The rift through space and time, still wide open like a terrible maw, had spirit energy emerging out of it like millions of fireflies, falling upon them snow.

Even as the last bit of his body disintegrated, he could now _feel_ the well wishes embedded within every bit of energy, giving power when there was none.

Some was given willingly, some was given through sheer solidarity, as if they had unconsciously given it to someone who was going through what they were.

And this made Zamasu _furious_.

When he was about to eliminate all of the mortals in this realm once and for all, the mortals from different worlds and times _stopping_ him from completing his noble duty!?

With a scream of rage, the last physical vestiges of Zamasu was no more, and Trunks took a step back and gasped, releasing the energy that he had garnered with a smile.

"Thank you..." he whispered to the wind, smiling towards the rift.

However, even as the other two saiyans finally recovered enough to regain consciousness and congratulate the future warrior on his victory, the entity known as Zamasu was still in existence.

Immortality had granted him sentience, even when his physical body was no more, and it was planning on _vengeance._

Already infecting the world with his energy, his hatred wasn't just aimed at the mortals of this world, but also at the mortals in the _next._

He had learned his lesson; where there were mortals, there were beings who would oppose him. And that must be retified.

To solve this, a piece of his immortal self slipped into the rift that had saved Trunks, evil intent within that energy as well as sentience.

He would travel to one of these worlds and find a new body, conquer it with his indomitable will, and use it to begin his extermination in that very dimension.

And he would start with the dimension that provided solidarity, unconsciously giving small parts of their energy to Trunks in his time of need.

This meant that they were undergoing, at the very least, a time of conflict. Typical for mortals, but perfect for him; their judge, jury, and _executioner._

With ill intent, Zamasu's dark energy slipped into the rift, aiming for the genocide of all. Not minding or caring for the fact that the rift sealed behind him.

Determined that this time, nothing would stop him.

* * *

"Hey, old man, you alright?"

Naruto looked at the silent sage, unsure why he went quiet, or why he looked so concerned.

Asura looked concern too, but who cared about him.

Finally raising his head from the ground, the blond shinobi swore that he saw the ancient being in front of him grow several hundred years older in the blink of an eye.

"I'm sorry."

That was all he said, and Naruto felt a chill go down his spine at the sheer... _finality_ of it. "What are you-?"

"Please..." the sage pleaded, voice thick, so unlike his stoic demeanor earlier. "Be strong."

Then, Naruto _felt it._

If the teenager wasn't so thrown off by the sudden and twisted feeling in his stomach, he would've screamed. But he could do nothing, even afterwards, such was the pain that came after the initial _jolt._

What was going-!?

'Weak.'

'As I thought, no matter where I go, mortals are still as deplorable and weak as in my own dimension. Nothing has changed.'

Naruto grit his teeth, trying to push through the pain. "Who...are...you-!?"

'Fool.' the voice seemed to sneer. 'You aren't in any position to demand anything, let alone from a deity, can't your feeble human mind understand this? I'm not here to negotiate, I'm here to take. In this case, I'm here to take your body.'

The shinobi gasped audibly, squirming at the idea, unable to do much else with the pain distracting him as it was. All else was drowned out, leaving him unable to concentrate, no matter how hard he tried.

'Your resistance to my control is in vain, mortal! You have no one to blame but yourself for leaving yourself wide open to my exalted self!' the voice rang, coming within and without, his influence surrounding him effortlessly. 'The massive energy gap within you is wide enough for me to settle in quite comfortably! Even now, a bit of my DNA is embedding itself within you so that my ki will become one as soon as I take control! It's over, human!'

A scream echoed in the small expanse of the room, growing louder and more desperate as Naruto fell to the floor, writhing in pain and anguish, unintelligible words emerging from his mouth. A series of pleas to make the pain stop. To make it go away. For an _end_.

But all he received was a cruel laughter. 'Once I have control over your body, I will end the scourge that is humanity in this world! All will end! As should have happened long ago! They were nothing but cruel and heartless creatures that have nothing positive to add to life. Good riddance to their existence!'

For the first time since the pain first came to him, the shinobi managed to open a single eye through this torture, only to dilate at he took in his own metaphysical presence within his own mindscape. His body was bleeding openly through cuts and gashes, all of which were just formed, revealing just how much damage this intruder was giving his psyche.

But through it all, a part of him latched onto what he had just heard. "W-What...?"

For the first time, the voice hesitated, but came back with a vengeance with that pompous and blatant sense of superiority against him. 'What? Didn't you know just how evil your kind are? Surely you must've seen it? Your kind has destroyed the natural beauty of the planets that you have inhabited for your structures, all without a hint of self-awareness. Not only that, but your cruelty among your own kind is legendary! There are no redeeming factors to you mortals whatsoever!'

In his mind's eye, several instances of such cruelty flashed through the blond, memories of his youth, where the actions of powerful men and women conspired to make the lives of others a living hell.

To make his _own_ life a living hell.

Uchiha Obito's machinations would bring the Akatsuki to fruition, bringing forth an organization that would hunt and kill jinchūriki, a group of people that already was being mistreated and shunned for simply existing, and would bring death and destruction to whomever they came across.

The villagers of Konhagakure, who would sing the praises of the Hokage and the Will of Fire, but leave nothing but scorn and hate for the orphan of the greatest Hokage in recent memory and it's newest jinchūriki.

That was only in his childhood. Gaara, Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke all faced horrible circumstances thanks to the actions of others as well, and yet, throughout the world, he had no doubt that there were tragedies being carried out like theirs, even as he contemplated it.

And that hurt to think about.

Gazing quietly at the arm laying down next to his face, seeing the blood ooze out and paint the water he was in red, the open eyelid slowly slid shut, a stillness falling onto his form.

From within, Zamasu grinned, pleased that the resistance he was facing before crumbled as flashes of the boy's personal tragedies were recalled from the depths of his memories, proving that his words were correct, without even a doubt in his mind.

Inside the mindscape, where the fallen form of the shinobi continued to bleed out, Zamasu's body began to materialize, his handsome features intact as he brushed his long and gravity-defying hair, as well as smoothing out the dark clothes of the kais to make himself perfectly presentable.

It wouldn't do to destroy the human who's body he was about to steal without being as presentable as a deity of his caliber should be.

Peering down at the downed teenager, Zamasu smirked. "Good. Stay down. And become the catalyst for this world's destruction."

From behind the arrogant deity, Hagoromo watched the happenings with a critical eye, holding the black staff within the palm of his hand warily, ready, willing, and able to step in if need be.

He needn't had bothered, as right at that moment, for the first time since this critical juncture, the young man raised his head.

Every movement he made, every twitch of his muscles, every twist of his joints gave him unimaginable and indescribable _pain_. Like nothing he has ever felt. It was as if molten lava was pouring through his body and melting him from the inside out, leaving nothing but a constant haze in his head.

But one thing pierced through the haze, giving him enough focus to push through the pain.

One thing and one thing alone.

"...-it back."

Zamasu raised an eyebrow, amused if anything. "Hmm? What was that, mortal?"

Naruto raised his head enough to meet his gaze, standing up again, shaking violently with effort, doing the impossible with sheer willpower. "Take...it back!"

Even this proved too much though, and he faltered, nearly falling over again, coughing out blood in a hacking fit. Yet, as soon as he finished, he continued, while ignoring the blood trailing down his mouth. "Humans...they're cruel, deceitful...callous, bigoted, and... _selfish_."

The deity frowned then, befuddled. "Then you should agree with me. Their kind needs to be destroyed-!"

"But..." Naruto ground his teeth together, fist clenching so tightly that they were biting into his palms. "They're also kind, honest, conscientious, understanding, and _selfless!_ For every horrible thing that a human has done, I have seen so much _more_ good!"

Images assaulted the deity then, catching him flat-footed at the sudden influx of information.

A portly man offering him a warm bowl of ramen, beckoning him inside, away from the cold rain outside.

A man with a scar on the bridge of his nose, rubbing his head affectionately with a proud smile.

An elderly man wearing long red and white robes, smoking a wooden pipe as he smiled kindly at him.

A young-looking busty woman sliding her necklace over his head, a sense of almost motherly care as she gazed warmly at him.

The casual manhandling of a large hand ruffling his hair, coming from a man with long white hair and a massive grin.

And finally, the calm and collected stare coming from dark eyes framed by hair as dark as night, a slow cocky grin etching onto pale features.

' _I want to fight you too.'_

Zamasu took a step back involuntarily by the sheer _weight_ of those memories, and from the words that echoed, understanding what they meant on an instinctual level.

Acknowledgement.

This falter was what gave Naruto the chance to forcefully take a step forward, calling upon every bit of his mental fortitude to close the gap between the two men, ending with him grabbing the deity by the collar with a snarl.

"You are judging a group of people by the actions of some, painting all of them as the _problem_ , a way of thinking that has ensured that my childhood was as shitty as it was! As a jinchūriki, you actually think that I'm going to let you do the same for an entire species!?" the shinobi snarled, baring his sharp canines, raising the self-proclaimed god off of his feet with his grip in his collar.

Fury shot through the kai, disturbed and beyond livid at the idea that this insignificant not only rebounded entirely, but also had the gall to lift him up by his collar.

Calling upon the energy which he had bestowed upon this vessel of his, he waited to feel the ki building in his body, strengthening it to impossible heights so that he may crush this _pest's_ head like a watermelon.

Zamasu waited.

And waited.

And waited.

An icy feeling of fear shot through him. Where was his power? Why wouldn't he feel it yet!?

It should've adjusted to this being's body by this point, and for all intents and purposes, they were of one body. There were simply two spirits inhabiting it.

So why couldn't he-!?

 _"Get out_."

His question remained unanswered as a right hook smashed into his cheek, ripping his collar as he was sent flying towards the other end of the room. Crashing into it with enough force to create shockwaves from his impact.

Sliding down the wall, Zamasu groaned and tried to stand up, only to feel his legs give out on him.

Raising his head as blood leaked out of the side of his mouth, he met with the fierce blue eyes of an opponent that stood over him.

And he realized this in a rush, that this man didn't stand head and shoulders over him because of power, or intelligence, or even ideology.

He stood up to him because of his sheer _will_ , which had, incidentally, stripped him of everything.

Because, as the blond raised his fist to prepare for the blow that would banish him from his mindscape, he saw a thin outline of ki empower his strength to levels he hadn't even believed possible until then.

 _Zamasu's_ ki.

" _Get out."_

Through sheer will, this mortal had just expunged all control of the power that was initially his own, and had unconsciously, partially at least, taken it for his own.

And so, with blue eyes dilated to merely a pinprick, and his fist slowly coming down on him with an arc, Zamasu would hear one more thing before his spirit was completely expelled from this body.

 _"Get out_." Naruto hissed dangerously. " _And never come back."_

* * *

Hagoromo was impressed.

No, he was beyond impressed, he was practically gobsmacked.

That being said, his physical features didn't reflect his actual feelings of the matter, and had retained his stoic demeanor as the inheritor of Asura's will had finally expunged the madman's influence over his psyche.

And with it, had unintentionally kept his power.

More than that however, the ancient man couldn't help but listen to the ramblings of the man that nearly destroyed the boy, finding it distasteful to say the least.

That wasn't what had his focus though, rather, it was the manner where Uzumaki Naruto emerged victorious.

This boy had conquered a pure and adulterated evil that could only be compared to the sage's mother, as neither Madara or Obito could compare to this 'Zamasu'.

For him to accomplish such a thing...could it be that maybe...just _maybe_...

"It seems that you don't need the power of Asura anymore." Hagoromo remarked calmly, jolting Naruto from studying his hands. "I'm not entirely sure who that was, but his power has become your own after he tried to steal your body. This power should be more than enough to deal with Madara."

The younger man gazed at him, wide-eyed. "R-Really? So I'm strong enough now? So, wait, does that mean that even without Kurama, I'm still going to survive as well?"

"No." was Hagoromo's flat response. "You're still dying."

" _Ehhhhhh!?"_ Naruto fell into shock, eyes bulging comically out of his sockets.

After facing unimaginable pain, getting challenged by someone's ideology, and nearly getting his body stolen, he was still going to die!?

How was that even fair!?

"Unlike most of your kind, you have received not only Kurama as your biju, but you've also been made into a jinchūriki when you were a newborn." the sage explained patiently. "Your chakra is entirely intertwined with his to the point that your body essentially sees Kurama as a part of you. It's as if you just lost a major organ. It's actually quite impressive that you've even lasted as long as you have."

Even with the praise, the whiskered teen still deflated. "Well...that sucks."

Behind him, the spirit of Asura patted his back in understanding, as if he himself had faced such a situation.

Naruto was glad that someone here understood his pain.

Turning away from the moping child, Hagoromo inclined his head, smiling slightly.

He knew that his comrades among the living would bring him back, and when he woke up, he'd be able to defeat the great threat at hand.

All without having to force Asura's and Indra's powers to be awoken.

Now he could study them, and allow them the chance to grow into those powers themselves, and allow _them_ to determine the course of this world.

He only hoped that they would choose wisely without his interference.

Silently though, deep in his heart, he hoped that his decision to leave Asura as his proper heir was correct, and in turn, that leaving Naruto as his heir would bring the peace that he so desperately desired.

He could only hope...and have faith in the heir of his son's will.

* * *

It didn't take much longer for Gaara to take the small group he was escorting with his sand towards their objective, or rather, the man who _contained_ their objective.

Namikaze Minato, the resurrected Yondaime Hokage, bearer of the Yin half of the kyuubi, and the father of Uzumaki Naruto was rushing towards the incoming group. Eyes wide in horror and desperation at the scene that no father should ever have to witness.

The pale and lifeless body of his son, carefully dropped onto the ground once the grains of sand dissipated to give him clear access to him, barely holding to life.

Even as a professional shinobi that has seen countless and gruesome deaths during his career, this sight nearly broke his professionalism and forced him to his knees, wishing nothing more than to hold his spawn close to his chest. To pray for and search for life and to protect him from the dangers of this horrible war.

But the hard steel that made up his soul, which was forged in the fires of the tumultuous Third Shinobi War had given him the strength to retain his calm frame of mind in this situation. Enough of it to recognize that what his son needed wasn't tears and hugs, but the _kyuubi_.

Reaching the fallen blond, Minato shut down the golden cloak that he had kept on this entire time, silently conversing with the biju inside his seal, slowly extending his hand towards Naruto's own seal to begin the transfer.

Gaara and Sakura watched the hand reach with baited breath and unflinching eyes, praying without words that this procedure would go off without a hitch.

Unbeknownst to all however, under Uzumaki Naruto's form, was the hidden and dark shadow of Black Zetsu, a being that served Uchiha Madara and worked for his ambitions.

And he was about to sabotage this little revival attempt, recognizing the danger that the jinchūriki posed to the Uchiha partiarch's plans, as well as... _other_ things.

Better to keep the boy dead, lest he prove to be a bigger thorn than even he initially estimated.

Which was why he was shocked, to say the least, that his big moment wasn't coming to fruition.

As soon as he was going to make his move, the blond that he was so close to and hiding under suddenly... _pulsed_ with power. With a _foreign_ power.

It was like nothing that the dark entity ever felt before, but whatever it was, it had completely destroyed Black Zetsu's equilibrium, preventing him from simply slipping out from the youth's back and blocking the hand that was inching towards Naruto's stomach.

Above the blond, Sakura snapped her gaze at him, eyes widening at the strange sensation he was emanating, not sure of what to make of it.

Whereas, Gaara didn't seem nearly as concerned, but still narrowed his eyes warily.

Minato didn't give a fuck, and slammed his hand against the seal, an orange chakra cloak enveloping his arm, sliding from his body towards Naruto's.

Gnashing it's teeth, Black Zetsu slinked away carefully, it's body spasming uncomfortably due to the close proximity that it was in when that pulse of power was released, knowing damn well that Madara _needed_ to be informed.

This threat needed to be dealt with. _Now_.

* * *

Uchiha Madara was close. He was _so_ close.

His dream was right at the cusp of his grasp, and he had little to stand in his way now.

The jinchūriki and the sole Uchiha of this era had been the biggest threats to his goal, and they were both knocking on death's door. So there was nothing else left to really stand in his way.

Not even Hashirama could stand up to him now, especially now, as the jinchūriki of the juubi.

Armed with a single _Rinnegan_ , the Uchiha was well aware that he still needed another _Rinnegan_ before he could activate the _Mugen Tsukuyomi_ , the infinite dream world that would bring everlasting peace to the world.

It wouldn't be much longer now. All he needed to do was to get past these two Konoha jonin that have seen it fit to stand in his way.

A pathetic last stand, for a tired shinobi world.

It couldn't have been more poetic for the ancient shinobi.

His opposition; Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy, were both grim faced as they kept themselves poised and ready to move at an instant's notice, aware that they were the only ones able to hold off the might ancestor at bay.

Might Guy in particular was considering a more... _permanent_ solution.

But before he could reach his decision, the slimy form of Black Zetsu had slithered across the field and reformed next to Madara, gasping and out of air, as if he had been rushing to get there. "M-Madara! There has been an unfortunate...development."

Scowling distastefully at the casual way that he was addressed, he nevertheless raised a brow at what he had heard. Not one to ever discount a threat, despite his well-earned arrogance. "Explain."

If Black Zetsu was able to swallow saliva, it would have. "I-It's the kyuubi jinchūriki, he has revived! He's gotten the Yondaime Hokage's kyuubi, and he's no doubt planning to return to the battlefield as we speak!"

The god in-all-but-name had his _Rinnegan_ narrow in his single eye socket, considering the information.

Initially, he was going to dismiss this information, recalling how the blond shinobi could only match him with his abilities while he _wasn't_ the juubi's jinchūriki. Madara was now in an entirely different class altogether.

Even if the boy's prowress at such a young age was impressive, especially with his mastery over his biju's powers, it was still nowhere enough to even pose a threat to him.

But then...in the back of his mind, there was this sense of... _foreboding_.

Battle-honed instincts that have saved his life throughout his time in the living was now blaring at him, giving him a warning that something _big_ was incoming.

And he never ignored those instincts.

Flicking his single eye towards the area in-between the two jonin facing him, Madara glowered. "We will see whether Uzumaki Naruto will prove to be a dance partner in a moment, now won't we?"

The manifestation of his will couldn't respond, too distracted as he was by the force that suddenly slammed into it by a blur that crashed right behind Kakashi and Guy.

Both Konoha shinobi turned around, relief painting their features at the familiar face that had joined the battle.

"Good to see you conscious again, Naruto." Kakashi remarked with an eye smile, pleased to see his student alive and well. "Want to sit this out a bit before you join in?"

"Nonsense, Kakashi!" Guy shouted, boisterous as ever, even in this dark moment. "Naruto is too youthful to sit on the sidelines! Come, Naruto! Bask in the youthful camaraderie that we have forged in this battle for the world!"

Behind the two older men, Naruto cracked a smile. "Thanks for the offers, both of you. But...I need to ask the two of you a favor dattebayo."

Making sure to keep a watchful eye on Madara with his _Mangekyou Sharingan_ , the copycat ninja spared a look at his student. "What is it?"

The jinchūriki met his sensei's stare head on, expression serious. "I need you to back off for a minute. Let me handle Madara. Alone."

This time, Guy and Kakashi completely snapped their heads toward him, their eyes equally as wide as the other, though the scarecrow's expression was infinitely more priceless due to his general lax nature.

Naruto ignored their looks though, aiming all of his focus towards the Uchiha patriarch at this point, and nothing else.

Narrowing his sole eye, Madara gestured to Black Zetsu to move. "Come to me, I may need you shortly."

Best not leave anything to chance, anyone who left all of their plans and dreams to mere chance was a fool that allowed their arrogance to take control of their actions.

And whilst Uchiha Madara was arrogant, he would never allow it to dominate or trump his good sense.

Deforming into black ooze, Black Zetsu slid up Madara's black boots, waiting for further orders, trying to ignore the cold chips that were the blond's eyes.

"Uzumaki Naruto." the juubi jinchūriki called out loudly, meeting his blue eyes with his single one. "You seem to have a penchant for foiling my plans and my longstanding manipulations. It seems that I have to personally finish you, lest you come back from the dead a second time."

"Heh." Naruto raised his open palm towards his eye level, clenching it shut with confidence. "Sorry to say this, Madara, but I'm a completely different person from last time! Right now...I feel like I can do _anything!_ "

Madara allowed for a feral grin to adorn itself upon his face. "Then let's see how you _dance_ , Uzumaki Naruto!"

As soon as he finished his sentence, he blinked.

And the second he opened his eye again, he saw a pair of well-worn knuckles right in front of his face, _literally_.

Head snapping to the side, Madara nearly lost his footing when the unexpected blow sent him sliding back, eye wide at the sheer _speed_ he just witnessed.

Not one to take such a thing lying down, the legendary shinobi moved his black staff in front of his body in a defensive position, his senjutsu-enhanced senses screaming at him to do so.

He was glad he listened, as the blond blurred in front of him and slammed his arm against the rod, pressing the juubi jinchūriki into the ground, sending rubble flying all around at the sheer air pressure his blow had caused.

Narrowing his eye, Madara called upon the _gudōdama_ behind him and sent it forward, priming it to blow to disintegrate his foe.

In a feat of pure speed and power; Naruto pulled back from Madara and grabbed the rod that he was holding along the way, jerking it and tossing the man around his body in a mighty swing.

Hopping right after him, he narrowly dodged the explosion that essentially made everything within it's radius void, sweating a bit at the close call as he soared after his enemy.

Ceasing his flight with his new-found ability to fly, Madara hang loosely up in the air, his eye narrowed.

How did Uzumaki Naruto get so strong-?

"What are we looking at?"

Spinning on a dime, lightning crackled in-between the ancient shinobi's fingers, prepared to release an overwhelmingly powerful jutsu that was as fast as-

A vicious blow sent Madara spiraling down to earth at breakneck speeds,, leaving him in an uncontrollable tumble that he couldn't control until he slammed _into_ the hard soil.

Creating a human-shaped crater at his rough entry, the revived man pushed himself off of the ground, gritting his teeth as he spit out some blood.

How could this be? How could this child be so strong!?

Madara had achieved veritable godhood, and yet this child was able to out-power and out-speed him? Despite being his equal when he was naught but a walking corpse!?

There must be something else, some other factor that he hadn't considered. Regardless, with this unexpected wrench in his plan, he was going to need a moment to consider his options away from the battlefield.

He needed time to think, where he wasn't busy getting pummeled left and right.

His objective wasn't to win the physical battle, it was to enact the _Mugen Tsukuyomi_ , and he could achieve this with a second _Rinnegan_.

But he couldn't figure out what to do until he had some space...

"Black Zetsu." Madara called, glaring at his own body. "I'm aware that you were born out my wish to enact the _Mugen Tsukuyomi_ , but I am also aware that due to the unique circumstances that you were born from, that is to say, thanks to the energy of the Gedo Statue, that you have a unique perspective into the power of the juubi. And, in essence, the _power_ of the juubi's jinchūriki. Are you aware of any power that could give me some space away from this meddlesome child so that I may consider my next move?"

At first, all he heard was silence, something that tried his patience, truly.

Especially when Madara was already a little bit suspicious of the being's actions as of late.

There seemed to be something... _more_ to this entity than he had originally believed.

His thoughts on the matter came to a halt when Black Zetsu spoke up though. "I'm...not entirely sure, Madara-sama. But I _do_ know that your third eye as special properties, and that anything that you may want to do with it, maybe possible. If you wish to leave this very plane of existence, then surely, it is a power within your grasp, Madara-sama."

Madara narrowed his single eye into a slit, even more suspicious than before now.

But still, his advice had merit. So for now, he would focus on achieving his life-long dream, and _then_ focus on this dark creature.

Raising his hand steadily towards the horn-like protrusion covering his third eye, gripping it and snapping it off with a flick of his wrist.

Then he raised his hands and formed the tiger hand seal, concentrating. Focusing on the single idea of _getting away_.

Meanwhile, up in the air, Naruto was gripping his arm with a tight hold. The veins popping out in his temple as well as the violent shaking of his body both acted as more than enough visible evidence of the stress that he was undergoing through.

What compounded on this fact was the simmering energy that was literally _pouring_ out of his right arm, making everything within it to bulge out everywhere, as if something from within was literally trying to break out of his damn arm.

Gritting his teeth tightly enough to feel his gum rattle, Naruto slowly watched as the aura simmered down into nothing, fading away as if it had never existed to begin with.

Blowing out a sigh in exhaustion, Naruto murmured under his breath. "As I thought...this power is ridiculously unstable. If I don't learn how to use it properly, I'm gonna get myself killed with it..."

Snapping away from that, the kyuubi jinchūriki finally turned to face the downed Madara once and for all, determined to end this with this strange power.

What he saw made him pale.

Uchiha Madara was flaring a ridiculous amount of chakra into a jutsu, and he was performing the tiger seal as he was doing so.

Whatever he was about to do, it was going to be _big_.

Not even noticing that he was essentially floating in the air, the blond started falling down towards the ancient man, raising his fist once more, but with an explosive amount of that strange energy coating it this time around.

He descended quickly, earning the attention of the reborn shinobi himself, who smirked at the desperation in his face.

Madara knew that even if Uzumaki Naruto scored another hit, it wouldn't matter, the Uchiha would still escape, giving him time to plan out his next move properly.

Taking a single punch wouldn't be a big deal compared to that.

So he thought nothing of the fist that was about to connect to his stomach.

At least, until he saw nothing but _red_.

"Ah... _ah!_ "

Madara could only try to speak, to shout, to say something intelligible.

But nothing could, not with what had just been done to him.

Naruto himself was horror strucken at what he had just done, not expecting the power he was wielding to do... _this_.

What he was referring to was the very fist that he was utilizing, which had not only connected with Madara's stomach, it had gotten _through_ it and reached the other side, with his arm stuck inside the man's torso.

Blood splattered everywhere, and it was seeping into Naruto's clothes, painting him with the fluid that gave his enemy life.

The Uzumaki knew that he had to stop the Uchiha at all costs, but...the sheer brutality, and the _manner_ in which he killed him was just...

Naruto couldn't say a word, all he could do was pull his arm out of his enemy's torso, watching him fall lifelessly to the ground.

And all of the chakra build up that he was holding... _released_.

At the spot that Madara formerly occupied, which was now inhabited by Naruto, the air distorted and simply... _popped_.

In an instant, the young man that had slain the enemy of the entire shinobi world vanished, without a trace or a word.

The jutsu that Madara had tried to use had a name, it was known as the _Amenominaka_ , a jutsu that the genius shinobi had attempted to try for the first time ever to escape, and it's range was only big enough to transport the area he was standing on.

But the sheer amount of chakra he had poured into it, coupled with the lack of aim, sent the blond to a land far away, beyond Madara's expectations.

Neither Naruto or Madara could have known what that jutsu was, only Black Zetsu, the being that was currently slinking out of his master's corpse to hide away, could have known.

The fact of the matter remained; Uzumaki Naruto, had vanished.

* * *

Naruto fell flat on his face.

It was about as ungraceful as it sounded, with the shinobi tasting dirt, forcing him to spit out the foul taste that entered his mouth.

He raised his hand and nursed the headache that he had, groaning all the while.

It was only after he shook off the pang that was knocking against his head that he actually checked his surroundings.

He blinked, wiped his eyes, then checked again.

"...Where am I?" he wondered aloud, swiveling his head in a three-hundred and sixty degree angle.

It would take a little bit of searching, but Uzumaki Naruto would soon learn that he was on a planet that was in a realm called; 'Universe 6'.

Whatever the hell _that_ meant.

Not that it mattered, because despite the shitty situation, he wasn't going to despair.

He had literally just faced worse than this, and he had already faced all of his inner demons and had come out on top.

This? This was practically a side quest on his road to finish the final destination of his main quest!

Naruto was gonna head back home, come hell or high water!

Count on it!

* * *

 **AN: Ok, just a prologue to get this out of my head. I blame a challenge that I saw a few days ago. I haven't been able to work on anything because of this thing.**

 **Don't count on any update on this anytime soon, I got other shit to focus on. If I ever go on a temporary hiatus on my main story, then I can probably work on this part-time. We'll see.**

 **Of course, there are still plenty of questions that need to be asked, and plenty more that need to be answered! And whenever I get back to this, I shall answer them! My little fanfiction notebook has all of the details. :3**

 **Also, side note; this story is taking place a few months prior to the Tournament of Power in the DBSverse. So there will be some shit in-between then and now.**

 **Anyway, just a small bit of fun on my part. Cya all later! :D**

 **-RekkingPride**


	2. Chapter 2

Normally, the slight rustling movements of the sparse trees and the whistle of the wind proved to be a soothing sound to the adult being that was walking through the forest.

Now the sound made him flinch, afraid that the sound was more of an indication that he wasn't alone rather than anything else.

Many things have changed since he and his people learned the truth of his planet's so-called 'savior'.

For one; the lieutenants under that monster's organization had finally shown their true colors, and had thoroughly subjugated the planet that they've 'liberated' from space pirates. Claiming that it was simply a temporary measure.

Even if his people wanted to deny them, it wasn't like they could, due to their lackluster military.

Now they all had to pay tribute to their new overlords in the form of raw minerals and numerous herbs and foodstuffs.

Which was why _he_ was here, much to his disgruntlement.

All he could do now was wait for aid from any inter-universal forces to intervene on their behalf…

"Ughhhh…"

Jumping up in what felt like several feet into the air, beady black eyes spun and locked onto the source of the sound, body rigid.

What he saw dissuaded him from his initial impression, calming him down and concerning him all at once.

Instead of seeing a vicious warrior ready to pounce upon him, like he would've expected, he found a fallen man -boy?- on the ground. His strange orange clothing making it easier to spot him among the green underbrush.

The blood leaking from his body helped too.

Gasping through his snout, the doctor rushed towards the fallen child while dropping all of the items he had accumulated, his knowledge in his craft giving him the expertise to study the numerous injuries that ailed his de-facto patient.

Carefully turning the boy onto his back elicited another gasp from the experienced man. As well as a deep feeling of empathy.

Whoever this boy was, if the gaping holes that dotted his body were of any indication, then he was obviously not long for this world.

He was losing too much blood as it was, and there was simply no way for him to get a blood transplant in time to replace the energy-giving liquid.

There was simply no hope for him.

Feeling pity towards the near-dead youth, the doctor scooped him up from the ground, carrying him as he turned around to head back to his village.

While he couldn't do much for this teenager, he could at the very least provide him with a comforting last few hours before he passed away.

In these dark times, it was such small actions that kept the spark of hope alive. The fact was, after all; this was what he himself would want if he ever found himself in this position.

The food could wait.

* * *

"Dr. Rota! Dr. Rota!"

The man pushed the small glasses up his snout once he finished placing a cloak over the unconscious youth, turning around to face the younger being that called him. "Whatever it is, can't it wait? Our young friend here doesn't have much time left."

For the first time since he entered the medical hut, the younger being paused, just now noticing their alien guest. "A humanoid? Is it, perhaps, one of the-!?"

"No." the now-named professional shook his stocky head. "It isn't a saiyan. At least, I doubt it, not with _that_ hair. No, more likely he's just another humanoid."

The disappointed sigh that came out of the other native of Mayonnai came as no surprise to Dr. Rota, in fact; he could sympathize.

Their people could only break free from their oppressive overlords with outside intervention, and the best possible aid they could hope for was the saiyan race.

Specifically; the Sadala Defense Force and its expeditionary branch, which focused on doing good across the universe.

It really was a shame that this young man probably wasn't a saiyan.

"You were going to tell me something?" Dr. Rota idly scratched his white tusks, both of which were sticking out proudly at the ends of his mouth. "Is something the matter?"

"R-Right." the younger being recovered his bearings. "Sir, we've been informed by our runner that… _they're_ coming back. They'll want their tribute. Soon."

A string of expletives left the good doctor's mouth as he rushed past the youth, no doubt to help in the preparation ceremony that they've been forced to re-enact every time their rulers deign to come by every other week.

They knew the consequences that would befall them should they fail to make the preparations suitably ostentatious enough. Knew it as well as they knew of the chains and collars that they've all been forced to wear, even if they didn't wear them physically.

Something that was obviously beginning to grate the younger generation of the inhabitants of Mayonnai.

It was only a matter of time before these oppressive pirates pushed them too far, and sparked a revolt; an attempt to break the chains holding down their entire race.

And the youth that had spoken to the well-respected doctor of his people knew that, felt it, and _feared_ it. Even if indignation and humiliation stoked the passionate fires of retribution.

Taking one last glance at the pale humanoid that had occupied the most comfortable hammock within Dr. Rota's medical hut, he had to shake his head and breathe out slowly through his snout.

It really was a shame that this guy wasn't one of those saiyans…

* * *

The first hint that Naruto received to tell him that he wasn't quite dead yet wasn't the light that slightly penetrated his closed eyelids. Or the feel of the comfortable fabric underneath him. Or the warm air that filtered through his nose, tickling him a bit in the process.

No. It was the _pain_.

Again.

He didn't even really have the strength to speak, let alone try and think about _where_ he was and _how_ he had gotten here. But the question of why he was hurt was…pretty redundant by that point.

What he could do was blearily open an eye, seeing a figure pushing some blinds out of the way to leave the dwelling that the shinobi found himself in.

And boy, what a creature it was.

He had seen some weird shit, so he wasn't exactly balking at the sight that had been registered in his head, but he could count that as pretty high up there in the 'weird shit' pile. Something which was pretty damn impressive if one thought about it.

From what he had managed to gather, the being that left him on the bed was some kind of bi-pedal boar with blue skin and tusks, as well as some kind of shark fin right at the crown of his head. The rags he wore for clothes were pretty basic, and spoke of a people that were probably…pretty barbaric.

Probably.

…He hoped he wasn't gonna be a meal or anything.

Naruto attempted to raise his upper body in order to check his surroundings, but all he had managed to do was twitch and exacerbate the pain shooting through his body.

Groaning in a pitiful manner, the shinobi had to wonder how many times it has been now. How many times had he lost consciousness?

Three? Four? Hell, maybe even _five_ now?

He had no idea, nor was he sure that he wanted to know.

All he knew was that there was something _seriously_ wrong with his body right now.

" **Oh gee, ya think?"**

Naruto groaned again. "…Not now… _Kurama_ …"

" **Yes now, Naruto."** came the dry reply, echoing within the depths of his mind. **"I've been trying to speak to you for the past three days now, and only now have you** _ **actually**_ **stopped to listen. Consider yourself lucky that you're even alive by this point, brat."**

A frown marred the pinched features on Naruto's face. "…It's been three days already…? No wonder I'm so hungry…actually, how am I even alive?"

" **Of course that's the first thing you think about…"** the beast within him managed to sound long-suffering in his tone, all while sounding genuinely concerned _and_ ignoring his question. Something pretty damn impressive now that he thought about it. **"Back to the subject at hand; Naruto, your body's** _ **literally**_ **tearing itself apart."**

"Oh." a small pause followed. "…That sounds bad 'ttebayo."

" **Yeah, I had to manually pump my chakra through you to heal your wounds before you bled to death. Sorry to say; you were getting ripped apart at a consistent rate, so I had to heal you in spurts lest I run out of chakra, which is why you probably have spotty memories at best."**

"Huh…" Naruto was taking this pretty well, all things considered. Or maybe he was way too out of it to react properly. "…Why am I getting hurt again?"

Yeah, he was definitely delirious. **"Probably that foreign energy in your system."**

"Eh? Wait…no…that can't be it." the shinobi was lucid enough to try and use his head a little at least. "I didn't feel like this while I was fighting Madara, so it can't be-"

He stopped there, a memory flashing through his mind's eye, reminding him of a single event during his fight, when there was a lull during fighting.

It was a moment that forced the blond to grab his arm and force the rogue energy that was pouring out of his hand back within him, something that he never had to do before.

…Maybe that guy's power really was fucking with him right now, it just happened to be doing it slowly.

But if it's that big of a problem, then why was his body being ripped apart so _slowly?_ Why wasn't it something instant?

Naruto had no idea. All he knew was that he was thankful to the furry in his stomach for keeping him alive while he stumbled across this unknown place's wastelands.

" **You're welcome."**

…Cocky bastard. The shinobi didn't even get the chance to verbalize his thanks verbally before Kurama went ahead and acknowledged it.

That was amongst the last things that Naruto thought about before the darkness took him again, letting a breath of relief accompany him on his way out.

* * *

"Doctor."

The boar-like species that Dr. Rota was a part of wasn't known for their facial expressions.

The tusks coupled with their small mouths, as well as the beady eyes made it somewhat difficult to have the lively expressions that most humanoid beings could utilize to great effect.

But there was no mistaking the abject _fear_ in one of his own's voice when he spoke out his name. Or the words that followed.

" _They're here_."

Dr. Rota cursed, the sweat misting over the clear frames of his glasses making it easy to guess that he was despairing over this latest appearance of their overlords.

After that little stint in aiding that humanoid yesterday, the good doctor had the presence of mind to help prepare the 'welcome' for their oppressors, as well as the tribute that needed to be provided.

Now he could only hope that their efforts were enough to keep everyone safe.

Rushing out to race up an elevated platform that was set up to give out the gifts that would placate the scythe being held over their collective necks, he watched as the rest of his kind filed into formation around the platform. Leaving only the front of it bereft of people, leaving an opening so that the pirates could climb the platform easily.

They stayed that way for several minutes, many of his people squirming uncomfortably as they stood at attention, occasionally glancing around to make sure their overhead streamers and flags were all set up properly.

It took a little bit longer for their guests of honor to finally arrive, but eventually they did in typical fashion.

 _Violently._

Without warning, several blurs pierced the clouds above and came rocketing down towards the ground below, landing without a care for the many dwellings that was near their impact radius.

Beady eyes narrowing, Dr. Rota peered at the dust that was picked up from the nonsensical showboating that he was forced to bear witness to, and out came a single man.

The leader of this ragtag group of thieves and murderers; a tall well-muscled man with dark green skin, a mohawk, and two large horns sticking out at the sides of his cranium.

What truly gave away his true allegiances though; were the cruel dark eyes that he was leering at them with, and the battle armor that he wore. Which was very much popularized by the soldiers - _pirates_ \- under _that_ man's service.

"Ah…nothing quite brightens my day up as the sight of a race of people that knows their proper place in the world." the man commented, flashing a mocking smile at the group huddled before him. "You have a proper tribute for me and my boys, right? It takes quite a bit of time and energy to keep you all safe from the dangers across the galaxy, you know?"

"Yes…of course." the designated leader of the inhabitants of Mayonnai bit down on the retort that he wanted to give. "Here; an assortment of herbs and minerals gathered from across the continent. I hope that this is enough to show our…appreciation for your service."

Dark eyes trailed towards the center of the platform where his prize laid, seeing an assortment of vegetables, fruits, exotic plants, and beautiful gems that glistened like little stars. All gathered from the mostly untapped mines on the continent, and would no doubt fetch a high price in the intergalactic black market.

"Not good enough. I expected to get at least double this much after your last tribute."

Dr. Rota was, understandably, apoplectic with this idea. "W-What? I've never heard of this!"

"It's just a general feeling that I've had. We've been doing an excellent job in keeping your people safe, so if you _really_ appreciated our protection…you'd fork over more of your shit."

Mocking chuckles trailed after his thinly veiled demand for more, all coming from a squad of diverse aliens that were standing behind him, all also wearing similar armor to him.

Dr. Rota didn't know what to say to the 'request' for more, seeing as they had pretty much given all that they could by this point. Notwithstanding their absolute essentials for even surviving.

But these pirates didn't care, not if their leader was the one calling the shots. "No appreciation, huh? Very well, then we'll just have to get our due… _other_ ways."

The bulky alien took a step forward, the sound of knuckles cracking once he massaged them in preparation to break some heads.

Immediately, the boar-like people began to huddle up, aware of what was about to happen, trying to close ranks against an outside threat, even if it was absolutely hopeless.

Dr. Rota knew that it was absolutely hopeless, and closed his eyes and lowered his head in grim acceptance.

He could only pray for deliverance soon…

"… _Oi_ , I don't know what's going on, but I really don't like it dattebayo."

Dr. Rota raised his head in a sharp gesture, following the source of the sound, not recognizing it as his heart soared.

It was unfamiliar, this new voice. And there was no way that it belonged to the pirates, seeing as it didn't have the predilection towards cruelty within it's tone, unlike many of his contemporaries.

But it was definitely an outsider.

C-Could it mean that help had arrived at last!?

Finishing his turn, he saw a figure on top of one of the huts, leaning out as he glared at the gaggle of people below, looking _mighty_ displeased despite the trail of blood leaking from the edge of his mouth.

"T-That guy…!" one of the younger locals muttered, his disbelief obvious. "That's the guy that was on death's door, right?"

Indeed, the spiky blond hair, the rags that replaced his bloodied orange clothing, and the unique scars on the both of his cheeks all revealed the mysterious humanoid's identity as the dying boy from yesterday.

Most of the inhabitants of Mayonnai didn't even know what he looked like; just that the best medical practitioner of their kind had brought an unknown man to rest in one of their medical tents. Outside of that, he was a complete unknown.

Well, this unknown was now challenging their overlords, all while wobbling a bit on his feet. Obviously the blood he has lost over time had taken it's toll on him.

To Dr. Rota, it was a miracle that the boy was even _speaking_ , let alone standing. "What are you doing boy!? Leave now while you-"

"Hoh? A tourist, eh? Well _friend_ , I'd ask you to stay out of something that doesn't involve you…but you already have, so you'll have to pay the price. We just can't have people blab about our operations here, ya see? Sorry, kid. Nothing personal." the acting leader of the pirates casually shrugged his shoulders, much to his men's roaring approval.

"Yeah, sure. You're just a saint, aren't ya?" the shinobi growled, sliding his hands down to his loincloth to tighten the rope keeping his garb aloft around his waist. Still curious about where his actual clothes went. "But I seriously think that you lot are nothing but talk; paper tigers, really. You subjugate a group of people who can't protect themselves, congratulations! You've sure showed us all how badass you guys are! Someone should grab your big boy undies for sure!"

Steadily, the cocky look that the pirate with dark green skin was sporting began to slip away the longer that Naruto continued his statement, faltering before his colored skin grew _red_. "Y-You…how dare-"

"Yes, yes. How dare I, right? Another cliché, who could've figured that out…"

Bristling now, the pirate leader bared his teeth as his terrifying power, which was used to subjugate the people of Mayonnai, began to leak out. Wind being spawned from his body as he took an aggressive step forward to charge the meddling child.

"Hey, you guys with him too?"

…Who wasn't on top of the hut anymore.

Spinning around, he saw that same boy facing his men, as if he has been there speaking to them the entire time. Confusing him _and_ his men in the process.

"Seriously, if you guys value your bodies, I suggest you hit the road…er…or space I guess. I don't know. Just leave and don't come back, alright?" the shinobi was making his pitch to the rest of the pirates, trying to convince them to shut down their operations while the going was good.

Something that their leader did not appreciate, since his rising blood pressure neatly coincided with his reddening cheeks.

He didn't say a word when he levitated off the ground, or when he flew headlong towards the enemy's bare back with his fist cocked back, a battle yell accompanying it.

" _Urgh!?_ "

The man's horns cracked once he smashed into the ground in a flash, blowing out air at the stinging hit that left a bloody mark on the crown of his head.

Above him, was the same boy, his fist extended in his general direction, glancing at him once, before turning back to the men he was speaking to. "Ya see? This is why we can't have nice things. I tried to be nice, and your boss attacks me from behind. Not many as a nice as I am, ya know? So take this chance to learn from your boss' mistake and scram."

For a moment, the armored men gawked at their fallen leader, before collectively exchanging uneasy glances. The many aliens were suddenly feeling…outclassed by this kid, and doubts were beginning to form.

Too bad it was wiped away by the fear that their leader's roar brought out. "What the hell are you assholes waiting for!? _Get him!_ "

Whatever doubt that was present before then was murdered, allowing their instincts to take over when their accomplished and powerful boss gave the order to attack. Not even bothering to think about the consequences of their actions.

Naruto sighed once they descended upon him.

He tried.

Opening his blue eyes, he rapidly counted the men that were flying towards him, noting all of their mindless attacks which just so happened to be telegraphed to a guy like him.

Not only were they as slow as snails, they also obviously had no form or training in anything besides a brawl.

Hell, not even that. He was pretty sure he had better form as a kid then these fucks did.

Not taking any more time to inspect his 'opponents', the blond took a step forward and lowered his head a bit, moving under the dual blows that were aimed for his head. At slow motion.

Stretching his arms out, he pinched the side of the alien with the blue skin and the massive cranium, trying not to put too much pressure as he elbowed another to the side of his ribs.

Huh. Did something just crack when he did that?

Ignoring that, the blond continued. Flicking one guy in the center of his forehead and pushing another guy out of the way since he was in the middle of jumping.

Looking behind him, he noticed that the guys that he figured would have tried to stop him by now were still in the middle of doing…whatever they were doing a few seconds ago. He was literally within their ranks, and they didn't even seem to know that.

Strange, did he develop a new technique? Or were these guys just that slow?

So consumed was he by this question that he didn't even realize that he had bodily pushed two guys behind him as he moved backwards, still pondering the phenomenon that he had left in his wake.

By the time he had turned around again to face the final pirate in the group, he had waved away the query and decided to inspect the, in his eyes, strange creature that was wearing the strange armor.

In a word, it looked like a bug man, with scales, massive eyes, dangerously sharp claws, two antennae sticking out of its head, and a closed mouth.

It looked weird, and the blond couldn't help but stare, even in battle.

Or maybe the blood loss really was getting to him by this point.

Outside of his perspective though, especially to the pirate leader's perspective, things were nowhere near as relaxed.

To him, after giving the order, he saw his men charge the stationary humanoid, ready to rip him limb from limb, to show this world yet another example as to _why_ they shouldn't try to resist.

Instead, the boy vanished.

And then his soldiers were either; smashed to the ground, slammed outside of the village, knocked into the air at ridiculous speeds, or flat out bodied.

Now there was one that was left, shaking like a leaf as the boy inspected him like one would a science project, terrified of what has just conspired to his buddies.

It gave the boss pause too, and he felt his spine shiver a bit at the sight, but quickly stifled down on the instinctive reaction and forced himself up to charge forward again. Battle cry loud and obvious.

When the boy patronizingly patted his last soldier on the shoulder, he turned around just in time to catch the fist that was aimed right at his back, which has now hit him square in the stomach.

Smirking at the satisfying feeling of having his fist bend his opponent due to the blow he had given, as well as the glob of blood that was spit hacked out, the leader felt more than a little vindicated.

Turned out that all his talk really was that. Talk.

In front of him, the humanoid began coughing his lungs out, droplets of blood falling from his open mouth onto the ground, unable to say a word.

It took a little bit longer for the blond to speak again, but when he did, it…wasn't what the pirate was expecting to hear.

"Aw…damn it…not again…my body's failing on me…hope that Kurama's about to fix the damage…huh?"

Just raising his head again, Naruto blinked at the sight of the burly green alien with the horns and Mohawk…with his fist right in his stomach.

He glanced down at it, checking it out, but looking at the alien again, positively bewildered. "You…hit me? Did you just hit me? I…er…I didn't really feel it."

To the shinobi, that statement meant that the lack of blood had knocked out his sensory abilities enough to make him miss both; his enemy's attack, and the feeling of _being_ attacked.

To the pirate, it meant that his punch, which was thrown with the full force of his power, meant _nothing_.

Shaking, the horned alien tried to pull back, wishing to call for backup against this…this _thing_ that had appeared out of nowhere to spoil their fun. Unfortunately, he suddenly found himself unable to pull back.

Mostly thanks to the hand that clutched his wrist, keeping him in place.

"Sorry about this, but seeing as I'm probably about to lose consciousness…again…I figured that I should end this now."

The pirate leader couldn't say anything edgewise, since all he saw then was a blur that shot towards him, impacting and _collapsing_ his mouth and everything within it, throwing him in the air and away from the village.

Huh.

Did he have any teeth left?

…He wasn't really sure anymore.

And that was the last thing that the oppressive overlord of the planet Mayonnai thought about when he fell into blissful darkness.

* * *

Dr. Rota had _no_ idea what the hell was happening around him anymore.

First; his patient which he took in to comfort him in his final hours had just appeared, looking lively, if still a bit sick.

Second; said patient proceeded to wipe the floor of their oppressors.

Third; he fell over, half-dead, after seemingly taking no damage… _again_.

Suffice it to say, the good doctor was more than a little puzzled. That being said, he knew damn well that there was no way that he was going to let this incredible young man die so easily now, not after doing what he just did.

So here he was; carefully inspecting the body of his people's savior -he never thought he'd be saying that about this boy- while avoiding the vermillion cloak, which had randomly sprung up after he had fallen.

Thankfully, due to the fact that he was among the only users of ki on the planet, he didn't necessarily have to touch the boy in order to inspect him for bodily anomalies. "Let me show you why I, Dr. Rota, am called _Doctor_."

He loved using that catchphrase, even if it annoyed the hell out of everyone else around him.

Taking a moment to channel the energy around him, he huffed as a wave of energy pulsed around him, harmlessly passing through everything within a certain radius of himself.

Mostly, everything remained unaffected.

But, to him, the body in front of him had suddenly become transparent, allowing him to see just about anything within this humanoid's body. Something very useful for someone like him.

Of course, this information only meant so much without the proper knowledge of the general body structure of his species, and the many aliens across the universe.

He was well-versed enough so as to have a general idea of what was and wasn't wrong with someone's body at just a quick glance. As well as how to knock any alien out by aiming for their pressure points.

Something useful for combat with low numbers, but definitely useless when it came to large groups.

Shaking his head, the doctor took the time to inspect the boy's body, taking care not to touch the vermillion energy, and raising a non-existent eyebrow at the…strange things that he noticed.

Yes. Things. Plural.

He has seen strange instances where people had held two differing energy sources within themselves through some…interesting circumstances, so such a thing was possible.

But this was the first time he has seen up to _four_ individual energy sources within one body.

He had always prized his ability to see the spiritual power from inside the body, seeing as most groups in the universe wouldn't actually get to see it unless it was in use, but the brightly colored pools of energy nearly _blinded_ him from their sheer volume.

The first and most obvious one to notice was the rumbling energy that was violently thrashing within him, refusing to be cowed, seemingly searching for a way out within the young body that it was trapped in. Colored in the brightest of white, as if it was an ethereal power.

The second most obvious was the energy that was colored with an aquatic blue, doing its absolute best to literally _corral_ the rogue energy within his body, seemingly seeking to trap it and stop it from rampaging. It was acting like antibodies would to a virus, except seeking to contain instead of seeking to _destroy_. All while retaining its stable place in the body.

The third power was far less dramatic as the other two, since it was well contained within the body and was seeping out quite a bit of power in a stable manner. Obviously powering something with its orange aura.

It must be where the cloak was coming from then.

Finally, the calmest of them all the fourth power, which looked like a burning blue flame, was just sitting there, content at its place within the body of this boy.

Dr. Rota took a step back, shaking his head at what he had just seen.

Just what kind of circumstances did this child have to have… _this?_

To make matters more complicated, outside of the energies roiling within him, the body was also going through quite the tumultuous period.

Literally, the rebellious power within him was ripping his body to shreds, doing immense damage to the organs and muscles, as well as to major arteries and critical bone structures.

Thankfully, his body was now healing far faster than it was getting damaged, so he would be alright. For now.

He had to wonder though; why was his body acting like it was? Why was it actively trying to suppress the power in his body with such zeal?

If such a power was inside anyone else, it would've just made the body explode, no questions asked. But for some reason, his body was different…it was as if…

It was as if his body _knew_ how to contain powers far beyond what it could possibly contain, as if it was a learned behavior.

Something like that was possible after all, since the body did many things due to instinct and learned behavior. Such as the aforementioned response that the body had to viruses, where it actively sent antibodies to combat it without input from the conscious mind.

But something like that had to have occurred to the boy before for such a behavior to be possible…

Shaking his head again, the boar-like creature took off his glasses to massage his snout, seriously trying to figure out what the hell was up with this humanoid's biology.

Since, to top it _all_ off, the power that was holding back the rampaging white power within his body was…growing. Becoming larger and stronger the more time had passed.

He had absolutely no explanation for that.

Unfortunately for the good doctor's professional curiosity, there was just no way that he could've known about what had happened to Uzumaki Naruto just a few days ago.

How his status as a jinchūriki had prepped his body to contain Zamasu's power as it had Kurama's so many years ago.

How the influx of power had come with it; an influx of DNA, which gave him the beginnings of his own ki, which was now being used by his body to contain the overwhelming power now inside of him.

How that very DNA had the cells of the powerful saiyan race, which grew incredibly more powerful after recovering from every life and death situation. Something which Naruto, incidentally, was doing a lot these past few days.

Altogether; Naruto's power was rising dramatically, and was slowly becoming powerful enough to safely compartmentalize the ethereal godly power that needed to be tamed.

But the good doctor knew none of that, so he simply snorted in frustration and motioned to his assistant that was standing at the doorway. "I need food and water, lots of it. This boy is probably going to die of dehydration and starvation soon if he's not careful, even if his biology is certifiably insane."

Indeed, he had a feeling that their first _actual_ meeting -while they're both awake at least- will be quite interesting indeed.

* * *

Far off in a very distant star system, a sole starship was soaring through the vast expanse of space, cruising past an icy dead planet as its pilot kept his trajectory steady and true.

He knew where he was going, he memorized the coordinates for the planet after all. Ever since he had returned to Sadala after the Tournament he was a part of had concluded.

It took a while for him to spread the word across the universe of Frost's true nature and his criminal activities to be properly disseminated, but he had succeeded. If what he had heard was correct; the entirety of the universe was now privy to the true face of the cruel man's de-facto emperor. Bar the most remote regions of the cosmos.

Which just so happened to be where he was heading to.

Mayonnai, a remote planet where pirates attacked in order to enslave the local populace, which Frost stopped…allegedly.

Now he knew the truth, and he knew for a fact that a group of people were being enslaved by Frost's men, who themselves were probably pirates. Seeing as there probably was a revolving door between Frost's men and the pirates.

Cabba felt obligated to free the planet now that he knew the truth, and he would do so now. Regardless of what he faced.

He just hoped that his training with the Sadala Defense Force wasn't for nothing.

…Then again, if need be, he did now have his trump card, should things go south.

* * *

 **AN: Don't get your hopes up too high, just felt like doin' this one. Been bugging me.**

 **Also wanted to put this all down now before I forgot about this brilliant idea. Hopefully everyone understands what's going on with Naruto now (literally spelled it out after all, just in case) and why. I chose to take this route since it felt kind of cheap to have Naruto gain all that power with no consequence, and that it'd be more badass to have Naruto wrestle control over Merged Zamasu's power and use it like he does with Kurama. As an auxiliary power rather than his sole power.**

 **Basically; Naruto will have his own ki, and it's rapidly rising in response to the damage that is being done to his body, as well as his unique history as the jinchuriki of Kurama. Rapidly, he will be ridicuously strong from that alone, but then if he learned to harness Merged Zamasu's energy on top of that...**

 **Well; basically it will be pretty OP. So yeah, that was the gist of my idea. Merged Zamasu's power will work like Kurama's did in the Narutoverse, except far more riskier.**

 **And yeah, Kurama will still be around, and will still be very relevant.**

 **If I more onto the next chapter, then yeah, I will probably periodically (and randomly) continue this story. At least up until the ToP...or somewhere.**

 **Now, a question for the readers; do you think I should add elements from DB Xenoverse into this fic? You know; the Time Breakers, Time Patrollers. Stuff like that? Would help fluff the time between now and the ToP. (Tournament of Power for you plebs who hasn't figured it out.) :3**

 **But if I do do that, then I'm gonna need OCs, as well as general looks for those OCs...idk, I'm still thinking about it. What do you guys think?**

 **EDIT: I realized I was't specific; I meant Xenoverse elements *within* Universe 6, not going through time in Universe 7, like Xenoverse does now. So basically; time breakers and patrollers intervening in _Naruto's_ time. So everything will still take place in Universe 6 (unless it's much later I guess)**

 **EDIT 2: And yes, I will try to make sense of DBS power scaling and try to make SSJ transformations have meaning again. Hard tasks ahead, lol.**

 **-RekkingPride**


	3. Chapter 3

"Feeling better again, Naruto-san?"

Naruto flexed his new muscles, marveling at the idea that he was literally gaining more muscle mass by sleeping. "Yeah, thankfully there have been wider gaps after every knockout. Hopefully there will come a time where I won't randomly fall flat on my face, coughing my lungs out anymore."

"One could only hope." Dr. Rota grinned, despite the tusks in the way. "I'm here with your next meal…without the gourmet, as you asked."

"Ah, thanks." the blond sheepishly took the basket of fruit, a slight apologetic tone in his voice. "Uh, sorry about last time. I wasn't really prepared for your people's unique…food."

"No worries. It was a bit too much to hope that your tastes would align with ours, besides; the savior shouldn't have to apologize for something so small."

"And _you_ don't have to call me a 'savior' all the time dattebayo. I may have saved your people, but you probably saved my life before that by taking me in. We're even."

Dr. Rota shook his head, not in the least convinced with the idea that they were 'even' in any sense of the word. He decided not to metaphorically walk over well-trodden ground again though. "Well, I'll leave you to it, tell me if you need anything, Naruto-san."

Watching the boar-like being known as Dr. Rota leave the hut left the blond with mixed feelings.

He felt like he didn't quite understand his point of view…

Shrugging his shoulders, the young man stretched out all of his limbs, working out the kinks in his body due to being bedridden so damn much.

That and the people here had pretty much browbeaten him to stay in the hut, lest their 'savior' fall unconscious while outside. Which was about as much fun as one could expect it to be.

…Not that it was all bad though, since he actually got the good doctor to inform him about some…things.

Ok, well, a _lot_ of things.

Firstly; yeah, he was pretty much nowhere near close to home right now. Apparently he was on a planet called Mayonnai, which was a pretty remote planet, all things considered.

So he was definitely not on the right planet, and he had no idea where _his_ planet even was, let alone if his planet was even in _this_ universe.

If his caretaker was to be believed, he was on a planet in a galaxy that was in a _universe_ called, simply; Universe Six…which was one of up to _twelve_ universes.

His Earth could be on any one of those universes, or it could be in a different realm of reality altogether, and he would never be able to figure it out. Not if he wanted to be back before he died from old age anyway.

So that was a bummer.

Pushing aside the news that deflated him; he now knew what kind of energy he had managed to take from that evil guy was. And also learned a little bit more about his…uh…'condition'.

They called it 'ki', and it was the energy that the people in this weird place used to empower themselves with, much like the shinobi with their chakra. And just like chakra, ki was very much connected to everyone's life force.

Unlike chakra however, ki seemed to be far more concerned with the physical aspect of the individual rather than the mixing of physical and spiritual energies, like chakra.

It was also a hell of a lot more destructive and restrictive in comparison to chakra.

And now, thanks to that asshole that tried to steal his body, he had access to it. His very own ki.

Naruto grinned, deciding to test something that he hadn't had the chance to check since he had woken up from his near-death experience with the Old Sage.

Raising his arms, the blond brought his hands together and formed a classic cross shape with his fingers.

" _Kage bunshin no jutsu!_ "

Naruto blinked, seeing another pair of blue eyes stare right back at him, before that exact replica of him offered him a thumbs up. "Success!"

"Looks like it." the original had to agree. "Do you feel ki inside you as well?"

Glancing down at its body, the clone came back with another thumbs up. "Yep, definitely got it. And also, just so you know, boss. I'm pretty sure that that problem that you had with that bastard's rogue energy is making it hard for us clones to stay stabl-"

 ***Pop***

Taken aback, the shinobi watched his clone pop, unable to finish his sentence and leaving him at a cliffhanger.

Thankfully, given some context clues, the young man had a clue about what his copy could've been talking about. "Alright…so until I manage to take control of that self-proclaimed god's power, I won't be able to keep my clones, eh…? Well, that's just one more reason for me to master the power, then."

On the bright side, Naruto's other chakra-based techniques were functioning properly. The only problem, really, was concentration…for obvious reasons.

Now, as for his newest source of _controlled_ energy… "Alright, let's test out what Dr. Rota showed us. Practice makes perfect, right, Kurama?"

A sleepy grumble that could have shaken a city was the only response he received.

Taking this as the best affirmative he could get, the blond proceeded to continue in his crash course with ki, recalling what the doctor told him.

Cupping his hands together, the blond left some space between his palms so that he may concentrate his newest source of power. Moving forward in his efforts in ki control.

Digging into the depths of his metaphysical form and concentrating on the energy that _his_ body had created, the blond steadily and carefully gave it form by imagining a sphere between his hands.

It wasn't hard to do, since his experience with chakra and its intricacies made this seem like child's play.

Watching the golden orb of energy spring up like the tiniest of stars under his purview, Naruto grinned, and idly began bouncing the ball like a handball, uncaring of how stupid he looked.

Catching the ball in his hand and crushing it into nothing, the spiky-haired youth focused on his newest lesson, recently given to him by the good doctor after progressing through that initial hurdle and accidentally blasting a hole through the roof with an energy beam.

He knew better now…hopefully.

Closing his eyes, the blond felt the ki expand across his body liberally, felt gravity's weight slide off of him, and felt the air under his toes as he left the ground.

"Careful…careful…" perhaps he had been isolated a little too long, since he began to coach himself as he haphazardly levitated, his limbs occasionally jerking at the lack of leverage it had.

His body needed to get used to this before he-

"Ah."

He tilted forward too hard.

"Ah- _shit-!"_

Naruto was unable to continue his exclamation thanks to the fact that his face was slammed into the wall on the other side of the hut, all thanks to his temporary loss of control.

Groaning, the young man knew that he was going to need more time to master his new abilities.

He knew that…but he _also_ knew that he had to grow accustomed to them quickly, since they would be key to surviving in this strange new world.

Er…galaxy.

…Universe.

Nursing the headache he had just earned, he plopped back onto his cot to recover his dignity and began to plot his next move in his long term objective; getting home.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't scour the universe to find his way back home; he'd have to narrow down his search to ways that would give him _results_. And there was no way that he'd find that here.

Dr. Rota said it best; this was a remote planet at the edge of the universe, and there wasn't much of value in the area. Let alone knowledge or rumors that could get him anywhere.

He'd have to find a planet or area that had such things, a place where the people would know about the goings on across the cosmos. A place that wasn't _here_.

He had to go. At the first chance he got.

Thankfully, the people here would be safe without those pirates around, so they didn't need him around anymore. Especially since their boss' empire was apparently falling apart.

He apparently got caught during some tournament or something.

So the question became; how was he gonna leave?

That question plagued Naruto's mind as he fell flat on his back, forming another ball of ki with his hands and bouncing it up and down. Kind of like a ping pong ball.

" **Brat."**

Blue eyes perked. Was Kurama finally going to share ideas with him or-?

" **Brace yourself. Here comes another wave."**

Naruto paled. "Oh cra-"

Bending forward and hastily destroying the energy ball, the blond lurched as he grit his teeth against the newest iteration of pain thanks to the power running rampant within him.

The fact that Kurama knew that it was coming filled him with pride and annoyance all at once, a common occurrence when it came to the almighty furry.

Still. "T-Thanks for the tip, Kurama…"

He knew and trusted that the great beast would heal him back up as darkness encroached at the edge of his sight, especially as he noticed a vermillion cloak bubble up all around him.

" **Keh! I refuse to let my container die from something like this."** Kurama rumbled in his head.

The shinobi just smirked a bit before he lost consciousness again.

Kurama was such a big softy.

* * *

Cabba jabbed the button to his immediate right and then switched to the lever next to it to steadily pull it down, cutting down some of the power to the thrusters as he breached the outer atmosphere of the planet in front of him.

Planet Mayonnai.

It took the young saiyan quite a bit of time to find his way here -mostly because he was a subpar navigator during interstellar travel and kept getting lost- but he finally made it.

Glancing through the cockpit of his small ship, he marveled at the untamed beauty of the celestial body, seeing green as far as the eye could see.

Holding the ship's controls with a firmer grip as gravity took hold, he made sure to keep a close eye on the speed his vessel was clocking. He didn't want to hit the ground at terminal velocity after all.

It would be quite the way to go as an elite member of the Sadala Defense Force though.

The young saiyan shook his head, he had to focus on the objective and remember his training. He was in hostile territory, and he didn't know whether his enemies had spotted him or not.

He made sure to keep his power level low, just in case, but he couldn't sense any hostile intent yet. Or a power level that was too big to-

Cabba jolted as he stabilized his ship, lining his ship to the planet carefully so that he didn't nosedive. But his attention was focused elsewhere.

He had found several low level power sources not too far from his position, and he was approaching them quickly. That wasn't what made him start though.

It was the power that was among them, undisguised, and _very_ strong.

Narrowing his onyx eyes, the elite fighter was intensely aware of the fact that such a power was unnatural in this planet, and would be considered highly dangerous in the Sadala Defense Force. Someone that could only be fought against with a team of Sadala's most gifted warriors and veterans, and even then; with extreme caution.

Whoever this person was…was _strong_. Someone that, if what he was sensing was true, could wipe the floor with him.

…But then again, he had a secret trump card now, just for these kinds of situations.

More thankful of his master's rough tutelage during Champa-sama's tournament than ever, Cabba headed straight towards the source of the power, intent on landing close to the settlement to fight for the people of Mayonnai's freedom.

He wasn't sure about his chances, especially if he had friends who were as powerful as him, but he had to try, for the downtrodden's sake.

* * *

"Awake again, I see. And you've finished all of the food we've given you, as well as the jug of water. Brushing against death so many times must make you pretty hungry and thirsty, hm?"

"You could say that again…" Naruto grumbled in retort, chomping down on a purple fruit that tasted kind of suspect, but hey; food was food. "How long have I been out this time?"

"Oh, give or take two hours." Dr. Rota inspected him over the lens of his glasses. "You seem to be recovering at a faster rate. The first time I saw you, you were out for pretty much seven hours."

"Huh, I knocked five hours in the course of five days. I guess that means that I've been stuck on this planet for about a week now…" the blond adjusted the clothes, frowning at the rough wool that was rubbing against his skin. "Hey, by the way, are my clothes ready? I'd like to wear something comfortable again, if you don't mind."

The native man from Mayonnai chuckled. "Yes, yes, I'm aware. You've told me that you wanted to get out of those clothes a few times now. They're pretty much ready now, would you like me to go get them?"

A bright smile split the human teen's face. "Yes! Please! It'll make my day!"

Smiling in acquiescence like an uncle would, the elder being trudged out of the hut, intent on bringing the teen's clothes to him now that they were washed.

Which provided Naruto with quite the opportunity, if he said so himself.

Hopping out of his cot, the newest addition to Universe Six casually followed after his benefactor, trying not to look suspicious.

This was his chance to get some fresh air while he was absolutely sure that the good doctor was away, giving him the chance to figuratively spread his wings. He needed some fresh air anyway.

Hopping into the air as soon as he left the confines of the hut, the blond felt his blood race in his veins as power flooded his very being, denying physics as he floated higher into the air.

He nearly made a flip as he tilted forward a bit too much as he ascended, but he shakily managed to keep his balance, a sense of déjà vu accelerating his skill in flight.

Soon enough, he began to soar through the sky away from the village, steadily becoming more confident with his ability to completely ignore the laws of gravity.

And with it, came the loud whoop. "This. Is. _Badass!_ "

With a massive grin, Naruto twirled about in the air, enjoying the lightheaded feeling of the wind brushing past him, not bothered by the speed that he was traveling at. He was used to it thanks to his career, thankfully.

Spreading his arms out, he couldn't help but let his fingers feel the rush as well, expanding his senses liberally without thought.

Which was why he immediately brought out his feet and stalled into a stop, snapping his eyes open and zeroing on something ahead.

Someone was coming, fast, and heading straight for him.

Licking his dry lips, the young man naturally fell into a stance, recalling the last time that he felt a decent power on this planet. He sensed a trend so far.

Which was why he tensed up when someone surrounded by a white aura shot towards him, stopping a few meters away from him. Moving into his own stance as soon as he stopped.

Naruto had to raise an eyebrow at the man -boy?- who appeared in front of him. Despite the power this guy wielded, he didn't look that threatening at all, especially with his noodle arms.

"Um…" the shinobi perked up a bit when the guy in front of him spoke up, albeit with a distinct lack of confidence. "Hello, my name is Cabba of the Sadala Defense Force, and I'm here to inform you that you should probably leave this planet. Now."

Admittedly, the jinchūriki was thrown off by this spiky-haired guy's tone of voice when contrasted to his request, but he recovered pretty quickly. "Sorry, I don't know who you are or what this…'Salad' thing is, but I'm not gonna leave here just because you asked me to."

"Please, I'd prefer not to fight you if I don't have to." the passive-aggressive guy narrowed his already narrow eyes further, his energy building in preparation. An obvious sign that he's getting ready for a fight. "But I will if I have to."

A large grin split the shinobi 's face, providing a menacing look with his sharp canines and brutish appearance. A look that wasn't helped by the rags that covered his waist, giving him an almost caveman-like impression. "Give it a shot, I can't promise that you'll have all of your teeth by the end of it though."

" **Oi…"**

Naruto frowned, shaking his head a bit at the worried tone that he heard in Kurama's inflection. Immediately, he realized why.

Wasn't he being a little too… _eager_ to fight this guy? Wasn't it better to try and diffuse this fight before it really began?

He was never one to shy away from a fight, but…he probably shouldn't-

" _Hah!"_

Naruto jerked away from the fist that sailed towards his chest, narrowly dodging the attack that he wasn't even aware was thrown.

Looks like the time for talking was done.

On pure instinct, the blond continued to spin and slammed the raven-haired boy's back, which was wide open due to his extended punch. Connecting it with a satisfying grunt from his opponent.

Sent downwards in a spiral, the boy with strange clothes spread his arms out and took control of his flight, turning on the spot to race towards the shinobi again with his palms bright with glowing yellow orbs.

"Hey, those kinda look like-" Naruto attempted to comment, something that failed when a series of ki blasts shot out of his enemy's hands at a rapid rate.

Balking at the sight of the blasts that were beginning to blot out his sight, the teen instinctively slammed his hand against one of the stray ones that veered too close, hoping that it wouldn't detonate like some kind of bomb.

To his relief, his open palm simply batted it towards one of the other blasts that were also moving close, giving him all of the information that he needed.

Now moving in a flurry of movement, with all limbs working in tandem, Naruto took measure of all of the blasts that would actually hit him, and those that definitely wouldn't.

His left leg punted a blast that was originally going to hit his shoulder, his right knee knocked a sphere into one that would've slammed into his face, his right hand palmed another into the one right behind it, and his left fist outright crushed another one.

Altogether, Naruto found his body working every ki blast into another, all in an effort to keep these attacks from hurting him, and to _learn_ more about combat in this strange place he's found himself in.

He could tell that this guy was not only stronger than the pirates he had fought before, he was also a more competent fighter in comparison. This guy had seen combat before, so this was the perfect chance for him. A godsend, really.

After knocking another ki blast into the one behind it, the blond took a gander of his surroundings, realizing that the explosions that were created had blanketed the sky around him. Providing a smokescreen, literally.

It was actually an impressive move if he thought about it, it was something that could open the option for surprise attacks.

…Too bad the blond was experienced in this kind of thing.

Which was why he spun around and shot his leg out through the smoke behind him, jamming it against something solid.

A gasp -wheeze really- came out of that spot, alerting the shinobi to the successful hit. As well as the figure that was shot out of the self-made cloud towards the ground.

Flying after his opponent without hesitation, he easily saw his downed enemy crash into the ground, shattering it into pieces on impact, spittle and blood intermixing as it came out of his mouth.

The air cracked when Naruto performed a hard break above the guy with the weird armor, inspecting him from above with a frown. "You see the difference between us now, right? Look, you don't seem like a bad guy, so I suggest that you get out of here before you break your leg, kid."

Coughing, the 'kid' raised his head while still on his hands and knees, clenching his teeth tightly with blood leaking from his lips, dripping all over the crater that was at least ten meters wide in length. "I-I see that I'm no match for you as I am now…but I'm sorry to say that I'm not giving up that easily!"

A fiery passion burned in his onyx eyes now, glaring in defiance as he slammed his fist into the ground as his hair began to soar just a tad. "I will free these people from your control! No matter what!"

Naruto blinked, latching onto something that was just said as he landed on the earth. "Wait, what did you say about freeing-?"

The energy that slammed into him stopped him from asking any questions, forcing him to dig his feet into the hard soil below as his enemy stood up, shaking violently.

That violence extended towards the environment around him, as anything that wasn't grounded was sent flying away with the force that his opponent was emitting. A golden fire completely replaced the normal aura that he had earlier, his eyes and hair _changing_ as he concentrated on something deep within.

Naruto felt that this might be a problem.

His feelings on the matter was vindicated when the raven-haired boy grunted in exertion as he flexed, and then _bursted_ with power.

Forced to raise his arms over his eyes, Naruto squinted a bit, unable to fully stop the glaring and powerful light from blinding him.

It was only after the light died down that the blond was able to lower his crossed arms, letting him cautiously check whether his opponent had just blown himself up or something.

What he saw was _definitely_ not what he expected to see.

Instead of the sharp dark hair and onyx eyes that the kid normally had, it was all replaced by a blond mane as bright as the stars above and eyes that changed to a raging green color that held a quality that reminded him of the deep aquatic depths of the ocean. All of this coupled by his new fiery ki that exploded out of his body at an incredible output.

Those emerald eyes narrowed and focused entirely upon the shinobi with a furious glower.

"…Huh…" Naruto scratched his chin, feeling that this was a development that he should've expected somehow. "…Well that's new-"

A fist that nearly came close to snapping his nose sailed right by him, something that was only dodged thanks to the blond's -the _real_ blond- long and vicious history of combat.

Seeing and _feeling_ the change in his opponent, as well as the cut that was made on his cheek from the missed attack, the teen realized that this wasn't going to be as easy as he had initially thought.

* * *

This wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

Cabba figured this out after he got knocked out of the sky, forcing him to draw on the powerful _Super Saiyan_ transformation that his master taught him, but now the idea was driven home.

Despite his recent power up, he was unable to completely overwhelm this -ostensible- pirate leader. Though he was suppressing his power a bit, afraid as he was that the raging power within would turn him into a berserker if he wasn't careful.

The man must be brought to justice. If Cabba could swing it, he'd take him into custody.

Though he was able to turn the tables of the battle to his favor, it wasn't quite as lopsided as he'd hoped. Especially when one considered that he was definitely quite a bit stronger than the natural blond, even while suppressed.

So how was he not dominating?

Well…after he saw his leg swipe over the head of the pirate after he narrowly tilted it out of the way, he had to deduce that his martial hand-to-hand skills were simply superior to his own.

That being said, he could also see that his continuous assault was pushing the whiskered male back, so if he just kept the pressure, then he could _really_ start his beat down.

Hopefully.

"W-Wait! I'm beginning to think that there's a misundersta-!" Cabba viciously slammed his fist into the crossed guard that stopped him from pummeling the pirate's stomach, throwing him backwards in his flight. Whatever he was going to say cut short.

The saiyan was pretty sure it wasn't important.

Speeding right after the retreating man with nothing but rags for clothes, Cabba viciously restarted his assault, his fists flying at a pace that was nothing more than a blur with all of the strength that his _Super Saiyan_ form could provide without doing irreparable damage.

The auditory cracks that followed after his attacks connected informed the elite member of the Sadala Defense Force that he was definitely doing some damage, something which was compounded when blood seeped from new open wounds.

Taking advantage of the situation after another straight jab which shook the other male, the saiyan spun in the air and dug the tip of his foot into the man's ribs. Knocking him away at an awkward angle as he yelped.

After a period of spinning, the pirate retook control and sputtered to a stop, bent over as he clutched his rib. Breathing steadily.

Cabba slowly floated towards him, his expression as hardened as his youthful appearance would allow. "The tides have turned, pirate-san. So seeing as you had the courtesy to ask for me to leave peacefully, it's only fair that I return the favor to you. Leave, please."

Spiky hair cloaked the upper half of the teen's face, but he still spoke with a casual tone that belayed his disadvantaged situation. "…Yeah, I was right. This is a misunderstanding, kid. I'm not a part of that pirate gang, and I doubt that they'd let me join in anyway…seeing as I beat the shit outta them."

For a moment, the Super Saiyan's face loosened, but it was quickly suppressed faster than one could blink. "I don't know if what you claim is true or not, but if you're really sincere, then let me bind you so that I could ask the villagers myself."

A slow smile crept up the whisker-marked teen's lips. "Sorry, can't do that dattebayo. Can't exactly trust you, ya know?"

"Then we're at an impasse. I'm sorry, I'm going to have to knock you unconscious now." Cabba slid into a martial stance, preparing to follow through with his plan. Confident that he could win since he managed to inflict enough damage to stunt his ability to fight in close quarters.

Like fire, his golden aura flowed and _burned_ as he raised his fist and threw his clenched hand forward, his power aimed straight at the natural blond's head.

Air whistling past Cabba's surge forward, he could've sworn that his attack was going to connect since it was literally close enough to brush the golden locks of his opponent.

At least until a hand clasped the overwhelming power that was contained in his fist, stopping it just inches away from his forehead.

Emerald eyes widened at both; the fact that he was stopped, and the sight of the horizontal bar that replaced the -probable- pirate's pupil. Was he some kind of amphibian or something?

Not a word was given, the pirate merely reared his arm back, prepping for what was probably going to be a finishing blow to the young saiyan, much to his rising fear.

Jerking, Cabba tried to pull free in vain, tried to flail enough to get another shot in that could distract the man with toad-like eyes off of him. But it all failed miserably when he kept his hold and tanked every attack that made contact.

It was like hitting an inanimate object; he didn't react to his assault at _all_.

So all the young Super Saiyan could do was clench his eyes shut and wait for the pain.

" _Naruto-san!"_

Wind breezed past his face, giving him a strangely soothing feeling as his hair, which shared the same shade as liquid gold, was brushed back. Taking a deep breath, the saiyan eventually opened his eyes to check what had happened.

All he saw was a fist right in front of his face.

Strangely enough though, it wasn't moving forward to try and smash his face in.

Rather, the pirate was focused on something…or someone else. "Oh, hey there! What's up?"

Below the two airborne fighters stood a creature that Cabba had to assume was a native of this planet, wearing rags similar to the man he was fighting, interestingly enough.

…Wait…

"Naruto-san, please stop playing with your friend and come get your clothing!" the native from Mayonnai remarked loudly, he seemed pretty sure that the glowing teen wasn't a pirate at the very least.

His eyes, while sharp, weren't cruel, especially for a pirate.

"Oh! Right! My clothes!" Naruto gasped, backing away from Cabba, forgetting all about him. "Alright, I'm coming down Doc, just wait a second!"

Cabba watched the man that was so casually speaking to the boar-like being with confusion, an inkling of an idea tickling him at the back of his mind. "C-Can it be…?"

Naruto glanced up at him with his strange eyes, grinning despite their clash. "Satisfied yet? If not then feel free to fight me after I switch clothing."

"S-Sure…" all the saiyan could do was blink in surprise, trying to take in this new development and reconcile it with his prior knowledge.

Then, after putting all of the pieces together, something _clicked_. _"Ehhhhh!?"_

Cabba's loud exclamation was loud enough to be heard across the planet.

* * *

"I'm sorry! I'm so, so, _so_ sorry!"

Cabba had his head on the ground, bowing so deeply that he was pretty much at a sienza position by this point. Something that was clearly done in an effort to placate the taller male, who was scratching the back of his head. "Eh, don't worry too much about it, it was an honest mistake."

"No! I've made a grave error of judgement, Naruto-san! There is simply no way I can apologize enough for my lack of perspective!"

Dr. Rota snorted loudly, crossing his arms behind his back as he looked on to the scene playing out in front of the village. "The fact that you came all this way at the edge of the universe to aid us in our time of need is commendable, even if there were some misunderstandings. You are as honorable as they say; member of the mighty saiyan race."

There was a lull in the conversation, at least it felt that way to the blond, since time slowed to a crawl at the mention of that word.

"Saiyan?" Naruto echoed, sounding it out verbally when it… _resonated_. "What's a saiyan?"

Whatever that word was; a title, a name, or a group…there was something about it that spoke of it being of vital importance. It wasn't a word that was simply used in passing. It was _primal_.

"A saiyan, my young friend, is the name of this young man's people." inclining his head, the shark fin that was atop Dr. Rota's head pointed at the scrawny youth. "I'm sure he can tell you more about them, but they are a group of warriors that fight for justice across the universe. They are quite famous, actually. I'm surprised that you aren't aware of them."

Naruto met Cabba's onyx gaze, which was looking anywhere else in utter shame. "I feel like I don't quite deserve the respect that that word carries, sir."

So far, the blond had to admit that this wasn't the best first impression of the great saiyan race. Especially when one considered this kid's borderline shy attitude and impetuous attack.

…Or his scrawny arms.

He just couldn't get over that.

Then again, that transformation of his _was_ pretty damn impressive, so maybe there was more to this kid than meets the eye. After all, he was pretty damn sure that everyone's first impression of _himself_ was far from flattering.

Still…there was something about that word…about that _race_.

Saiyan.

 _Saiyan_.

A frown emerged, messing up the symmetrical nature of Naruto's cheeks. "Hey, Cabbage, was it?"

Cabba finally faced him, a sweatdrop trailing down his cheek. "Uh…actually, it's Cabba, sir."

"Yeah, right, listen for a second. I have a question for you." once Naruto was certain that he had the saiyan's full attention, he proceeded. "I've been having an…issue recently. Let's just say that I've been getting hurt. A _lot_. But every time I wake up, I become much, _much_ stronger than I was before. Do you have any clue as to why that is?"

He had no idea what possessed him to ask that question to the guy that looked like he was three years his junior, but he pressed on anyway. Maybe it was his instincts that got him to do it?

Whatever it was, it seemed to have paid off. Big time. "Eh? That sounds like a saiyan's _zenkai boost…_ actually, that sounds _exactly_ like a _zenkai boost_. I've never heard of any other race having anything remotely similar to a _zenkai boost_ , so it can't be anything else…but…"

Cabba fell into silence, inspecting the taller male with an almost clinical interest, as if he was trying to find the answer to a really difficult puzzle. "Are…you a hybrid?"

"Hybrid what?" the shinobi was almost afraid to ask.

"A hybrid saiyan. I've never met a saiyan with that kind of hair before, so it stands to reason that you're a hybrid. Is that true?"

In most circumstances, Naruto would've brushed the question off entirely. The sheer idea that he was anything but human seemed to be a pretty stupid idea.

But this wasn't a situation covered in 'most circumstances'. And he vividly recalled how that green-skinned bastard attempted to take his body for his own, and how he claimed he was melding his DNA with the blond's…

Naruto licked his dry lips nervously, suddenly feeling…abnormal. Different. Not himself. "I-I'm beginning to think so..."

He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he'd receive from the two alien beings next to him, busy as he was trying to make sense of his likely change in biology.

Stars in the eyes wasn't among them. "Ohhh. This is my first time meeting a hybrid saiyan. I heard it was really dangerous to make a hybrid, so your parents must be really brave." Cabba looked more impressed and intrigued than anything else.

Dr. Rota just beamed. "I hoped that we'd be saved by a saiyan, and it seems that that wish has panned out."

Taking a one-eighty, the boar then became serious and faced the full-blooded saiyan. "All jokes aside, you're an absolute wreck, saiyan-san. Come, let me treat your wounds."

"Ah, no, that isn't necessary-"

"It is entirely necessary! Come, this won't take long. I will not have such honored guests dripping blood on the ground!"

Cabba was quickly browbeaten by the portly being, giving in by following the doctor back into the village with a nervous smile. At least, before he was called out.

"Wait."

Naruto watched the raven-haired youth turn towards him, his eyes an open window to his soul. There was no deceit or intrigue in those wide eyes of his.

"…Can you tell me? Can you tell me all that there is to know about saiyans?"

Those open windows remained open and true when the shorter male smiled, trusting that this man, whom he had just met, was good and decent. He didn't even question why the blond knew nothing about his saiyan half.

It was pure and simple acceptance there, for better or for worse. "I can't. But I know someone who _can_."

* * *

"Woah…" Cabba was admittedly impressed, he didn't think that there were many people in the cosmos who could repair his wounds as quickly or efficiently as this unassuming doctor could. And if one considered the lack of professional medical equipment…

"And _that's_ why people call me the Doctor." Dr. Rota boasted, puffing his small chest up.

Ok, so maybe 'unassuming' wasn't one way to describe the small being. "How did you do that?"

From the battle, Cabba was pretty sure he had some pretty serious fractures in his ribcage and some nasty bruises. If nothing else, Naruto had definitely _hit_ like a saiyan.

"Simple. After scanning your body for irregularities, I used my ki to accelerate your body's natural ability to repair damage done to its overall integrity. Whatever natural processes your body has, my ki will act as a steroid to it. It's a useful ability, if I say so myself." the boar took one last cursory scan before patting the saiyan on the shoulder. "Check-up complete! You may leave now."

"You have my thanks, Dr. Rota-san." Cabba adjusted his armor as he stood back up from the medical cot. "Naruto-san is getting ready, correct?"

"Yes, he's getting his repaired clothes as we speak. Those clothes of his were badly damaged and bloody by the time I found him unconscious in a forest nearby."

"Bloodied?" the saiyan was no stranger to blood despite his youthful appearance, but it disturbed him to hear that something managed to damage the powerful blond enough to leave him battered and bloodied in a forest floor. And the idea that someone as kind as he was hurt at all didn't help. "What managed to hurt him that badly exactly? The pirates?"

"No, not the pirates. It's a little complicated…but, essentially, his body had gone through immense changes in an extremely short period of time. And that change was tearing his body apart. It has only recently been getting better." Dr. Rota remarked, turning to regard the cot that was just vacated. "He's been pretty much bedridden for almost his entire time here, as a matter of fact. Not by choice, mind you."

"I see…" Cabba also looked at the cot, a complicated expression adorning his features. "I'm not sure if I'm reading this right, but it seems to me that he's been through a lot."

"I agree." raising his head to meet the saiyan's eye, Dr. Rota spoke with a solemn tone. "I dare say that he's been through more than either of us could imagine. Which is why I have a request for you, saiyan-san."

"A request?" pulling the last armor strap over his shoulder, the young prodigy knew his interest shined in his eyes.

"Yes." though his eyes were small compared to most humanoids, he knew that the saiyan could see his sincerity regardless. "Help him. Help him as he helped us. There wasn't much we could do for him here…but you on the other hand…"

He sighed, shaking his large head, somehow expressing his disappointment in himself with that action alone. Outside of healing, what could he or any of his people do to repay their unlikely savior?

Very little, especially when one noticed how… _antsy_ he has acted. Full of energy, yet so stifled, whether it be from circumstance or his injuries.

Whatever it was, it revealed the fact that the young man simply known as Uzumaki Naruto wouldn't want to stay confined on this planet forever. He had grand designs that extended beyond this world, this solar system, and probably beyond this galaxy.

Just by seeing the turmoil in that teen's eyes, the good doctor understood immediately that he couldn't stay here. For his sake, he had to find a way to leave.

And this saiyan was definitely one of those ways. It was just a nice happenstance that the blond himself indirectly asked to leave with him.

"With all due respect, Dr. Rota-san." Cabba smiled softly. "I was planning on helping him anyway, seeing as he did my job for me. I felt morally obligated to help this planet after-"

"After Frost's true intentions and actions were revealed." even this far out in nowhere space, news managed to spread of the universally respected humanitarian's dark betrayal. "But why would you feel obligated to help us?"

"Because I was among the first who learned of Frost's true nature and of his actions on this planet. It'd also take too long for the expeditionary branch of the Sadala Defense Force to mobilize and come here in force, so I felt it was up to me."

That was all there was to it.

"I see." Dr. Rota patted the scrawny teen on the elbow, since it was pretty much at his eye level. "You are a good boy, saiyan-san."

"I appreciate your kind words." Cabba shot him a wry smile as he took a step outside of the hut, taking a breath now that he was out of the stuffy confines of the medical hut.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd get outta there dattebayo!"

Leaning against a hut nearby, the elite soldier's former opponent called out to him with a cheeky look spared at the doctor besides him. "Then again, I suppose that I if took the Doc's worrywart tendencies into account…I should consider myself lucky that we'd get moving at all today."

Chuckling at the indignant snort, Cabba decided to throw his newest acquaintance a bone. "Ah, well, you know doctors, right? Always doing their best to make sure their patients are in the best shape possible."

"That's right!" a small hand clenched into a fist was waved about warningly. "Who knows where you'd be if I hadn't checked up on you every day! Most people would be grateful, Naruto-san!"

"I'm pretty sure my body was repairing itself…"

"Irrelevant!"

"Geez…" Naruto groaned, shrugging his shoulders at the doctor's paranoia.

For the blond, it was normal for him to come back from wounds that would've left most people dead on the spot. So he couldn't even begin to understand the boar-man's fears.

"Ohhhh, are those your usual clothes, Naruto-san?" Cabba decided that it would be prudent to change the subject, suspecting that this back and forth was something that wouldn't get resolved anytime soon.

Glancing down, Naruto smiled at the orange colors that graced his eyes again. The dull colors in the village were beginning to wear down on him.

Cleaned thoroughly, his orange and black jumpsuit was looking quite fine, if he said so himself. Though it was a shame that the zipper was broken, leaving him unable to close the jacket should it get chilly. Now he only had a dark tank top to guard his torso from the cold.

At least he got his ninja pouch again, so that was a plus.

Beggars couldn't be choosers, right?

Though, if he were honest, he could've sworn that his clothes weren't _this_ snug on him before…

"Yeah." the shinobi fingered the fabric between his fingers, a sense of comfort touching him. "It's nice to have my old threads back, especially when I didn't exactly have much time to take anything with me…"

Curious about his statement, but choosing not to pry, the saiyan began floating into the air. "Alright, ready to go then, Naruto-san?"

"Almost." the misplaced shinobi had one last thing to do before he left.

Turning to look at the diminutive stature of the being that had taken care of him during his stay here, as well as provided him a home, the teen smiled. "….Even though I poked fun, I am thankful for all that you've done for me."

"Please. If I had done you a favor, then you had done far more than simply 'repay the favor'." even after all of this time, he could scarcely believe that this hybrid saiyan could possibly try and equate the two.

The smile slipped off the young man's lips, his hand extending out to offer a handshake. "…See you around?"

"Yes." Dr. Rota took the hand, grinning widely. "You'll always be welcomed here with open arms, Naruto-san."

Grip tightening a bit in assurance, Naruto followed his newest guide in this strange new universe and ascended to the air as his grip loosened. Taking the opportunity to have a long look at the expanse of the village below.

From the slightly dirty windows to the dirt streets, from the mines to the fields, he saw other natives notice his rise and wave at him. Shouts of farewells and well-wishes coming from the people he was leaving behind.

Warmly waving at the everyday citizens below, Naruto spoke over his shoulder towards the saiyan. "Ready when you are, kid."

Taking the jab in stride, Cabba also took the chance to wave his farewell, and then rocketed towards his ship, sensing his newest companion following suit.

This'd be an interesting flight back to Sadala, that was for sure.

* * *

"Your ship…wasn't as impressive as I thought it'd be."

"Ehehe…sorry to disappoint you, but ships are pretty expensive, and I didn't exactly have the money to get something fancier."

Naruto squirmed a bit in his tiny seat, gazing out at the last vestiges of the planet's atmosphere, the vessel they were on rumbling harshly as they did so.

It was a small thing, really. A dinky white spaceship with fins sticking down at an angle from its sides, and another sticking out like a shark fin at the top. It had a red cockpit and a flat bottom, which reminded the blond of a standard vehicle that were rarely used in the Elemental Nations, and made the entire vehicle look like a modified _car_.

Outside of the powerful engines pushing the ship forward, Naruto wouldn't figure this to be a ship at all.

"Thankfully, I saved up fuel for my warp drive so that the trip back won't be nearly as long as the one here. I didn't have enough fuel for both trips, you see." Cabba began fiddling with the controls in his pilot's seat, focused. "If my calculations were correct, then we should have just enough juice to get us there in about a day or so. These are state of the art warp drives after all, even if the ship itself is a bit…dated."

"I-I see." Naruto tried to follow, but only managed to get a gist of the raven-haired male's words. "That's pretty cool."

"It is, actually. Though the process in bending space itself in order to allow for fast travel is pretty complicated, so I'm glad that I don't have to figure out how these things work!" the saiyan was babbling, really, probably in an attempt to get the blond comfortable.

He decided to play along, not seeing anything wrong with it. "So…you knew about this Frost guy's betrayal, right? How did you learn about it before anyone else?"

Cabba's focused gaze then dimmed as he stared off into space, delving into memories. "I learned the truth a few months ago, during a tournament where I was ordered to fight on behalf of our God of Destruction."

"God of Destruction?"

"Yeah, have you never heard of the Gods of Destruction? It seems that a lot of people consider them to be myths, but I can assure you; they are real." images of figures wielding power that far outstripped the youth's imagination flashed through his head. "They wield power that could easily destroy galaxies, as a matter of fact!"

"S-Seriously?" Naruto wasn't sure how he should feel about that. "And…you were ordered to fight on _this_ guy's behalf? For what exactly?"

"It was a tournament between the God of Destruction of our universe and the one in Universe 7, where powerful mortals in this universe and their universe fought for a planet within Universe 7. I can't remember which planet though." it wasn't really important anyway. "It was there that I learned of Frost's intentions, after we all found out of his cheating ways, which actually won him two rounds."

"I see…so you must be pretty tough to get dragged into something like that, huh?"

Looking over his shoulder to flash a wry smile, the saiyan shrugged. "Well, I thought I was kinda competent, but I've been getting humbled left and right recently. First in the tournament, and then when I faced you. I'm surprised that you're a relative unknown to me to be honest, your abnormal strength normally would've spread across the universal community like wildfire."

"Ah, well, I kinda have…unique circumstances." while he was a trusting person by nature, he still wasn't exactly going to just tell this guy everything after they had just met. "But you shouldn't sell yourself short, your golden transformation of yours was pretty impressive dattebayo."

"Oh, that? I just got that recently, so it didn't really figure in when I was chosen." Cabba smiled fondly. "I was actually taught how to go _Super Saiyan_ by one of Universe 7's fighters. He's a bit mean, but he means well."

" _Super Saiyan_?" once more, hearing that transformation's name made him pay extra attention, feeling as if he should know this… _instinctively_. "That's that transformation that made you into a blond, right? What's that about?"

"I'm…not too sure myself." and he was telling the truth. "I had gained access to this power only recently, so I couldn't tell you much about it. But I _do_ know that it's this incredible power that just kinda…bubbles up inside of you, waiting to be unleashed. My master coaxed it out of me by threatening to kill my home planet, but ever since I've been able to use it at will. Even if it makes me a little angry if I go too far."

Slightly disturbed that someone would go so far as to destroy a planet, Naruto decided to let that go in favor of something else. "Your master?"

"His name was Vegeta-san; he was a saiyan from Universe 7, and someone who was _super_ strong. He beat me easily as soon as he began taking things seriously." Cabba scratched the back of his head, chuckling at the memory.

One second he was staring at a man with an aura of godly proportions.

The next? He was shaken awake by a bucket of water being splashed on him.

"Sounds like you've got a lot of respect for this guy."

"Vegeta-san is an incredible master, that's all there is to it."

The shinobi could definitely respect that, seeing as he himself remembered his own teachers fondly. He could relate with that feeling, a lot.

But after that feeling of comradery died down, there was something else that the blond focused on. "So…is this _Super Saiyan_ thing something that all saiyans could learn, or is there a special way to access it?"

"I'm sure that you could achieve it yourself, Naruto-san. Though the idea of _you_ being a _Super Saiyan_ of all things is…kinda terrifying." the member of the Sadala Defense Force mumbled that last part under his breath before continuing. "From what I could tell, you can become a _Super Saiyan_ by becoming very angry."

Naruto's dull stare was telling. "…Very angry?"

" _Very_ angry." the saiyan felt the need to emphasize the need for anger. "I'm sure that you could do it, Naruto-san! Just…don't try it here, please."

The newest saiyan hybrid wasn't sure, but he was pretty sure that there was more to this…transformation of his than just getting angry. There _had_ to be more.

Too bad he wouldn't really have the chance to think about it.

Their first clue that told them that there was trouble afoot was the blinking red light that began to flash in Cabba's control panel, coming from a little bulb that the raven-haired youth glanced at with a look of shock. "That's-"

Their second clue was the blaring sirens and the violent rumble that overtook the vessel's chassis, informing them of the sudden attack that rocked them from the outside.

"W-We have an enemy vessel closing in on us! It must've just jumped out of warp drive to get so close without my ship's perimeter scanners to just be acting up!" Cabba rushed through the controls, not panicked, but definitely spooked. "I didn't sense them myself either…"

"Yeah, neither did I." Naruto admitted. He may still be getting used to sensing with ki, but he still should've sensed these hostile attackers when they were this close. "Well, we're definitely going to die if we stay in this tiny ship."

"Just hold on, I can just pour more power into the shields, then we can calculate a jump out of here-"

"No, we don't have the time." the shinobi didn't know the capabilities of this ship, but he knew that the tone in the kid's voice suggested that the surprise attack did more damage than he let on. "We have to do something else to get out of this one."

"Well what else could we possibly-?" Cabba made the mistake of turning around to look at his passenger. "…Wait, what are you doing!?"

Naruto had his hands clasped around the emergency lock on the spaceship's broadside, preparing to yank it open. "Doing what I do best, kid! The unorthodox!"

The face-splitting grin that the whiskered teen had on his face did little to reassure the saiyan of his new acquaintance's sanity.

Nor did his opening of the emergency hatch, which shot him out into space.

* * *

The pirates had listened to the emergency distress beacon sent by the platoon left behind by their lord Frost on planet Mayonnai, activated due to the lack of activity in the pirate base on the planet. A precaution should an occupation force get kicked off planet by the local populace.

Seeing as their lord's empire was falling apart at the seams, this motley crew felt it prudent to abandon the planet that they were stationed on due to the recent uprising _there_. Which also happened to garner the attention of the nearby systems.

In contrast, everyone knew that Mayonnai was relatively isolated and backwards, no one really cared about it. It wasn't a hub of commerce or tourism, it was simply there.

So no one would mind if they…'coerced' the people there to focus on different endeavors.

But as soon as their freighter left warp drive to approach the planet, there happened to be a dingy little ship in the area that was leaving the planet's atmosphere, probably with some goods and some news to spread about the planet's newly liberated status.

They couldn't have _that_ now could they?

Engines flaring and guns blazing, the pirate vessel battered the smaller ship's shields, whittling them down with a concerted assault that was no doubt making the inhabitants fearful for their lives.

To make sure that the job was done properly, most of the pirates felt it prudent to pour their ki into the ship's main power supply, something which was done with the concept of vicious space battles between beings of incredible power in mind. After all, there were some people in the universe that had the power to destroy planets, so it would be counterproductive to have space vessels that were weaker than it's inhabitants, right?

That being said, there were limitations to what someone could input into a power generator, so it wasn't like someone could throw everything they had and simply blast their enemy to smithereens in every space battle with any ship.

The more advanced and larger the ship, the more power they were able to siphon from their users to destroy their opponents with.

Which was why none of the pirates were paying attention to the form that left their victim's vessel, save for the one controlling the ship from the cockpit.

"…Did I just see a golden man jump from that ship and head towards-?"

The pirate; a lowly private in their lord's military with an octopus-like head, was shaken when the vessel rumbled underneath his feet, alerting him to the attack that was likely enacted by that suicidal golden man.

There were some species that survived in space, or some that could survive for a limited time, was he perhaps one such being?

Regardless, the lowly pirate knew that he had to concentrate on the tiny ship before him.

…As well as ignore the loud shouts and sound of cracks echoing from the ship's main hold.

Yes, he should ignore those too.

He watched the tiny vessel hang there in space, lifeless and unmoving, just waiting for their guns to rip it to shreds. No matter who was within, they wouldn't be able to power the shields with their ki fast enough to survive a concerted assault. There was no way that their generator was strong enough for that.

They were sitting ducks.

…At least, they should've been, should their guns _actually_ fire.

Silence had fell within their ship's interior, which meant that the battle was likely over in their favor. No all they had to do was get rid of this tiny contraption and be done with this whole-

"Yo."

The private froze, his spine going so stiff that he felt his head swim at the sudden movement.

He didn't recognize that voice.

"So…you gonna do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

Turning slowly on his seat, he saw a spiky-haired humanoid smiling at him, looking ridiculous in his orange clothing. Pretty non-threatening for all intents and purposes.

Ignoring all of the bodies piled up behind him, as well as the one he was holding over his shoulders, that is. "I suggest you choose the easy way, if you weren't sure dattebayo."

The private nodded slowly, feeling his life depend on it, as well as his clean underwear.

…Well, his underwear was already soiled, if he were honest. "…Easy way, please?"

"Thatta boy!"

* * *

Cabba eventually maneuvered his ship to face the unmoving freighter that was firing upon him earlier, warily gazing at it with trepidation, unsure of what to expect.

Looking at it, it was obviously quite the impressive vessel.

It was sleek, having an arrow-shaped design where the cockpit acted as the tip which slowly expanded outwards into the main deck, where the main gun and the engines were located. There were also a number of other guns dotting the bottom of the vehicle's frame, acting as auxiliary weapon systems to seriously batter whatever this advanced vessel had in it's sights.

…Like his own modest snub ship.

Hopefully the blond actually did something, otherwise he was either going to die, or get stranded in the middle of nowhere space. Neither of which were appealing options.

He got his answer as soon as a green light emerged from his ship's communicator bulb, along with a beep, indicating that someone was trying to make contact with him.

Cautiously, he accepted the request. "…Hello?"

"Hello!? Cabbage!? Hopefully I'm doing this right… _hello!?_ "

Oh lord, the madman actually did it. "Naruto-san, did you just _hijack_ their _ship?_ "

A pause fell on the other line, leaving a weighted silence behind. "…Of course not. Hey, pirate dude, are you getting hijacked? Yes or no?"

"…No?"

"See? All's right and dandy over here, Cabbage."

Cabba groaned, wondering whether he should pity the pirate that was obviously terrified out of his mind on the other ship. "…Do you even know how to operate a ship of that size? Any ship at all, as a matter of fact?"

"Not even a little!" came the cheerful reply. "But that's why this guy is gonna teach me after he gets us jump into warp speed, ain't ya, best buddy!?"

That sounded more like a threat than a genuine question, something that was compounded when a squeak came in response to the blond's query.

Cabba sighed and melted in his seat, jabbing the coordinates into his keypad to send to the -former- pirate ship as he idly wondered whether the other male was going to faint again and leave himself vulnerable.

He supposed that he kept that in mind when he jacked the ship, but he could never be so sure about that with this guy. He was just so… _spontaneous_ , it was hard to tell if this was done on the fly or whether it was actually thought out.

One thing was for sure; he was right about his trip back to Sadala being interesting.

* * *

 **AN: Alright, so I'm getting a rough idea of what I want to do with this fic, as well as the Arcs. I like what I've got planned for this thing, though I definitely won't update this until my newest Legacy chapter is done.**

 **For those who care, I became a tad obsessed with trying to make sense of the Power Levels in this fic. So first, don't think these PLs are "official" by any stretch of the imagination, this is just pretty much my head canon by this point:**

Cabba: 150 Million

SSJ Cabba(Suppressed): 4 Billion

Naruto Uzumaki: 3.5 Billion (Post-practically 30 *serious* zenkai boosts, Merged Zamasu's energy is really kicking his ass)

 **Now, if anyone is curious with what the hijacked pirate ship looks like, look up; Frei-tek IFST-21 light freighter deviantart. It's there.**

 **And the thumbnail is the best idea of what I want Naruto to look like once after the Namek Arc (Yes, there will be a Namek Arc, and will probably be starting roughly...on chapter 8, give or take 2 chapters or so.)**

 **Though there would be some differences with what I'd want Naruto to look like in comparison to the pic, (the hair would still be the Naruto hair, not Gohan's...) but for now, it works. I need to get a commission or something to get that fixed...**

 **Well, that's all for now, tell me how it is, would ya? Cya! :P**

 **-RekkingPride**


	4. Chapter 4

Cabba slowly pulled the lever on his right back, listening to the annoying beeps that were alerting him to the impending approach of the coordinates which had been placed into the ship's systems, manually pulling the vehicle out of warp drive.

As soon as reality righted itself in front of Cabba's cockpit, he was greeted with beautiful sight of his homeworld; Sadala, in all of it's glory. With it's breathtaking mix of blues, greens, and purples throughout the planet's atmosphere, giving it the air of mystique...at least to newcomers.

The young saiyan sighed, he simply couldn't wait to get down there, flop onto his bed, and rest for a few days in peace and quiet. That sounded like heaven to him then and there.

Of course, he couldn't do that quite yet. He still had one last thing to do before he went off on his own to get some res and relaxation. He still had to introduce his newest acquaintance to someone that could properly teach and explain the many particularities of the saiyan body. He claimed he would, and he wouldn't be back away from his obligations.

Speaking of which; where was that guy-?

Through the side of his eyes, Cabba saw space warp and _bend_ somewhere off to the upper right of his cockpit, and a large object materialized seemingly out of nowhere. That object -vessel- was very familiar to the elite warrior.

That belief was only solidified when a loud and obnoxious beeping noise entered through his ear drums, signifying that someone was trying to contact him.

Hesitating for a fraction of a second, the skinny warrior jabbed the communicator, allowing the connection to come through.

"...Hello? Hello? Do you hear me? Is this thing even on!?"

Cabba pointedly cleared his throat. "Naruto-san? Do you hear me?"

"Ah! There you are, Cabbage! I've been trying to contact you!" Naruto's voice came through clearly, sounding excitable as usual. "Hey, this guy has been teaching me loads of stuff during the warp jump about the ship. From the advanced shit to the basic controls. This thing is cool as hell!"

A pause. "...Warp jump was what it was called, right?"

"...Yes."

"Awesome, I _am_ learning!"

Cabba was strangely sympathetic to the plight of the man that his newest acquaintance had captured. "Don't you think that you're being kind of mean to the pilot, Naruto-san?"

"Hah? Of course not! I'm being perfectly nice to this guy, ain't that right you little shit!?"

"Y-Yes!"

"See? Everything's dandy dattebayo."

The saiyan bowed his head, promising in his heart that he'd save that pirate pilot by providing him with a safe prison cell once they landed. "I'm providing you with the coordinates to an area out of the city limit; it's pretty out of the way from the space port. If you follow the coordinates, you'll find a small house nearby; talk to the man inside, he'll be expecting you. I'll join you shortly."

Cabba had to make a pit stop at the local prisons before he saw his old friend; he had to drop off his cargo.

* * *

Deep within the forests of the _Sadala_ , there was a tiny colorful house that stood in a small clearing. It's unassuming edifice communicating the owner's desire to remain secluded from the bustling metropolitan areas of the planet.

Said owner;Renso, was _very_ content with his life, barring a few minor exceptions.

After a long and distinguished career as an elite soldier within the Sadala Defense Force, the dark-skinned muscular man with dark hair tied into a ponytail had been given quite the pension from the royal government for his work, so he was afforded the luxury of sleeping his day away.

Which, in turn, led to his complete boredom.

Outside of the maintenance that his home required, there was little to do except relax, and that was something that he was still not used to after several years of retirement.

He'd much prefer to go back out into space and fight the good fight...but there was little he could do.

His dark eyes trailed down to his right leg, scowling at it as if it had scorned him, ignoring the cast that had wrapped it.

Out in the field, he had gone and crippled himself in battle with pirates, and now he was saddled with an injury that refused to fully mend properly. Robbing him of the option to walk without pain, let alone to _fight_.

For a _saiyan_ , that was something akin to a permanent torture session, though he was keeping himself occupied enough to stave off insanity.

It helped that that damned sister of his liked to fuck with him sometimes...

"...Come on...time to get up." Renso muttered, urging himself to action, figuring that his guest should be arriving soon.

Thankfully, keeping his hands busy wasn't the only option he had to avoid boredom. Getting visitors from old comrades and friends was definitely another option available to him.

Though, apparently he'd be meeting someone new this time around, at least before his kohai got his butt out of HQ.

A self-satisfied smirk made it's way to the veteran's face, pleased that he didn't have to deal with the bureaucracy of the Sadala Defense Force anymore.

That was _one_ quirk that he enjoyed from his retirement, he had to admit.

As quickly as that smirk appeared on his lips however, it just as quickly got wiped off, mostly due to the feeling he had just gotten at the very edge of his awareness.

Someone was coming.

Someone _strong_.

He straightened and deflated simultaneously, somehow. It sucked to know that he couldn't even spar anymore without falling over howling.

Ah, the wonders of youth...

Sighing like a geezer, -how he hated doing that- the saiyan carefully got onto his feet and grabbed his long coat, wishing to welcome the new friend that his old battle buddy brought to his doorstep.

He had to admit that he was slightly...curious why Cabba requested that he should answer all of this stranger's questions, but he trusted the younger man, so he decided to just to go along with it.

Slowly shuffling to the door, Renso turned the knob and pulled the door open, squinting slightly at the light that filtered through the opening.

...And at the bright clothing that the stranger in front of his door was wearing.

The veteran had to admit; he was slightly taken aback at the sight that greeted his eyes, and apparently he wasn't the only one.

His hand extended to knock on the door, a man with spiky blond hair sheepishly retracted his limb before opening his mouth to give a greeting, ostensibly.

Then he paused, frowning. "Hey, can you do me a favor uh...Ranma, was it?"

"Renso." he could already tell that this young man would be a pain in the ass to deal with. "...And that depends."

"Oh, it's nothing important." the youth beamed. "You see; I'm about to fall unconscious, but I don't want you to worry too much about me. I'll get up in a few minutes, so just leave me on the floor, alright?"

Renso wasn't sure how he should respond to the boy's question, so he was left speechless when literally three seconds later; the boy did in fact collapse.

It wasn't a graceful fall either; he just fell flat on his face and probably broke his nose in the process.

The former warrior remained silent, staring at the fallen and unmoving form that was stretched out right in front of his door without warning, wondering whether he should follow through with the teen's last request.

...Hell, he's been acquiescing to everyone's requests recently, what's one more?

Renso turned on his heel and shuffled back to his bed, determined to forget what he had just saw and wondering where the hell Cabba found the new guy. IT _had_ to have been one hell of a story.

Colorful personalities like that have to come from somewhere.

* * *

"Ehehe...sorry about that. I've got a unique condition."

"Indeed you do." Renso had to agree with the youth's assessment, dryly peering at him over the backrest of his couch.

It took Naruto a little bit to regain his bearings, but as soon as he recalled the -somewhat- steady flight to Ranma's house, he just as quickly remembered his final moments before he knocked out again.

As well as the embarrassing timing. It was a pretty bad first impression, even by his own standards.

"So, you're the one that Cabba sent my way, hm?" the man scratched his stubble of a beard, frowning. "You're a lot more eccentric than the guys he usually hangs out with, since he tends to be so serious. What brought you together exactly?"

"He tried to kill me."

Naruto said that with a straight face, and that by itself forced Renso to blink stupidly for a second or two. "...I'm sorry, can you repeat yourself?"

"I said-" the blond duly repeated himself. "-he tried to kill me."

"...Are you serious?"

"Yeah, is that so weird?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Eh." waving away the man's incredulous look, the teen snorted. "Most of my greatest friends are people that tried to kill me at one point or another."

Renso felt his shoulders slack, he seriously had to wonder where his kohai found this guy. "...Right, well...it'll take some time before Cabba comes by. If I know the military; he's probably stuck doing paperwork. So feel free to ask me some questions...uh...?"

"Naruto." the blond supplied, eyes lighting up. "Thanks a bunch for your help, Ranma-jii-chan!"

"I told you...it's-" Renso sighed, rolling his eyes. "Never mind; just give me your questions."

"Right." Naruto grew serious, flipping a switch so quickly that even the old soldier raised a brow at it. "Can you give me a rundown of saiyan biology?"

Idly scratching his small beard, the older man shifted on his couch cushion and gestured towards a chair that was facing said couch. "I'm not sure why you'd want to learn about something so vague, but if you need a quick lesson; then feel free to sit down, because this will take some time."

Moving around the couch towards the chair offered to him, the newly minted warrior with ki plopped onto the seat, sighing in contentment. "Alright, ready for your lecture, teach!"

"Aren't we excited?" a hint of a smirk made it's way to the veteran's mouth. "Alright, to start with; saiyans a warrior race that are born and bred to fight. We thrive on conflict, essentially. Though we have been able to twist that biological drive into something positive; by fighting the ever-present corrupt, twisted, and truly dark individuals across the universe."

Naruto had to grin at that, knowing full well that there was never a shortage of evil people out there. He had to give respect for the practical and positive direction that they've taken their race.

Chest puffing in obvious pride, the former warrior continued. "Because of our race's perogitave, we grow tremendously during battle. There are few species that advance in strength as much as ours, especially with the _zenkai boost_ that we receive when we go through an especially intense battle."

Ears perking, the native from the _Elemental Nations_ parroted the word that caught his attention. " _Zenkai Boost?"_

"Interested, eh? It's an ability that has forged the greatest of warriors that my race has ever seen. It drastically raises the power of a saiyan warrior after they are brought towards the brink of death. The current king himself had received an impressive _six_ zenkai boosts throughout the course of his life, which was what gave him the power to win the throne after a duel with his brother. Or, so I've heard." Renso sounded like he was beginning to boast the longer that he elucidated upon his species' biology.

Naruto might've cared more if he didn't become stiff at the description of the zenkai boost.

It sounded eerily familiar to a phenomenon that he has been going through...

"It should be noted that more serious internal injuries could provide saiyans with far more powerful zenkai boosts in return, especially if they were going through some powerful emotions at the time. It helps if they are healed thoroughly too."

Now that the blond thought about it, he was pretty sure that he had busted at least two major internal organs every time he lost consciousness...and apparently his sheer refusal to die, borne from his desire to return back home, helped keep him alive. Well; that and Kurama's chakra, which restored his body back to pristine condition.

 **"You're welcome."**

Yes, yes, thank you, Kurama.

"Outside of that stuff; there's also the fact that saiyans tend to age slower than other races, eat a lot to justify the amount of calories we burn, and rarely change hairstyles...if anything they usually stay the same. No time to focus on other things besides fighting, ya know, kid?"

"Not a kid." the unwilling immigrant muttered as an afterthought, focusing on something else. "You've pointed out that saiyans like to fight. A lot. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Kid." Renso shook his head, as if the very question was stupid and he couldn't believe that he was even answering it. "The desire to fight is imprinted within our very DNA, there's just no avoiding it; though some could resist it's call better than others."

Grunting now, he glared down at his leg, a bit of resentment leaking into his voice. "To be perfectly honest...being stuck in retirement is pretty much the worst thing that could've happened to me."

Naruto, as usual, decided to be tactful about it. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

If anything, the old soldier was amused by the blunt question. "You have no idea. Now, since I've answered your broad question; do you think that you could answer me one in return?" he didn't bother to wait for a response. "Why are you so interested in saiyan biology?"

Ah, the million ryo question. Still, the lost shinobi didn't see what was wrong in quenching the man's curiosity. "Ah, well...it's because I'm kind of a saiyan too now, that's why."

Renso's expression slackened a fair bit. "...But with that hair...what, are you mixed blood? And what do you mean by 'kind of'?"

"It's kinda complicated, but I only recently became a saiyan. As a matter of fact, I only recently obtained the power of _ki_ despite how common it is, apparently."

"Only recently...?" the disbelief in the veteran's tone was palpable. "But how is that possible? _Everyone_ has _ki_ deep inside..."

"Ranma." Naruto felt the edge of his lips twist at the grunt that accompanied the teen's verbalized butchering of his name. "Trust me when I say; the impossible happens around me a lot. I'm used to this."

"I-I see..."

Nodding firmly, the spiky-haired youth cupped his chin with his hand as he propped it onto the chair's armrest, frowning. "Yeah, so since I'm kinda new at using _ki_ , I kinda need help in finding out all of it's applications. If only there was a veteran somewhere that could help me out with that..."

Blue eyes fleetingly shot towards Renso, before snapping to the floor, despondent. "If only there were someone..."

Renso's cheek twitched, staying silent as his guest continued to drop his 'hints'.

"...If only there were _someone_."

The older man crossed his arms, refusing to budge, if only out of a sense of stubbornness.

"...If _only_ -"

Then again, he wasn't doing anything today...or ever, really.

"-there were-"

And this _was_ getting kinda annoying...

"- _someone...?"_

He blankly looked at the hopeful look that the blond 'descreetly' shot at him, sighing mournfully with a roll of the eyes. "...I suppose I don't mind giving you some-"

"Really!? Oh, thanks a bunch, jii-chan!"

Snorting at the teen's exuberant attitude, the saiyan grabbed his cane and used it to carefully prop himself up, grunting. "I'm gonna need a drink. I'll be right back, so just stay right there and-"

As if darkness itself had invaded the homely abode, the lights all across the house flickered off, leaving only the orange and warm glow given by the fireplace beside Naruto's seat to light the room.

Tensing up, the blond scanned the room, extending his newly minted senses just in case they were about to be attacked.

Whereas Renso just sighed quietly and cursed under his breath. "Damn it...again? She seriously needs to stop messing with me..."

Onyx pupils moved away from the hanging lights above towards the sapphire of his guest, offering a sheepish smile. "Sorry, technical difficulties. I've gotta go and get the backup generator working, alright? So just sit tight."

Naruto, sensing something wrong, drew himself to his full height by getting onto his feet. "Wait, you're so nonchalant about this...is this normal? Also, what did you mean by 'she'?"

Waving away his concerns, the saiyan grunted. "Don't worry about it, it's just a prank."

The frown that was already making it's way to the blond's lips only grew deeper at the word utilized. He knew _exactly_ what a prank was. At worse; a prank was annoying and time consuming towards the victim, at least to him.

But this? This wasn't just a prank anymore. Cutting off the electricity to a home in a remote area meant that this disabled man had to force himself onto his broken leg and restore power when he probably didn't have much money to begin with.

This was just cruel; a step too far for just a simple prank.

Naruto stood there as Renso disappeared into the depths of his home as an idea formed in the back of his mind; reaching a conclusion that brought a sharp grin to his lips.

This guy was nice to him, so why not do something in return to repay that kindness?

Glancing at the part of the house where the veteran disappeared to, the lost shinobi carefully tiptoed right out of the building and inspected the ground that the abode was elevated off of.

Essentially peeking under the house's front porch, he noted that Ranma's overall residence was lifted off of the ground thanks to the tree trunks that were no doubt used to build the nifty home.

That, and that there were several colored wires that poked out of the back of the homestead, disappearing into the forestry behind the house.

Lifting off of the ground, young warrior levitated just above the treeline and followed after the wires, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious along the way.

Eventually, after a minute of flight, the ground began to blur into a mix of colors and shades, his speed steadily rising in his impatience to find the perpetrator that wronged the gruff old man.

Thinking back on Ranma-jii-chan's words, it seemed that the man definitely had an inkling on who was responsible for cutting off all power to his building, so this was obviously a recurring problem.

The question still stood; why bother? Why bother an old guy in the middle of nowhere?

Those thoughts bandied around his head for a few moments before the blond glanced up ahead, feeling multiple presences just up ahead.

Reaching a clearing in the forest, Naruto descended and crashed at it's edge, startling the gaggle of thugs that were celebrating right up until he had arrived.

Lifting his head at a snail's pace, the blond grinned, showing off his sharp teeth in the process. "Good morning."

The saiyan hybrid had to love the expressions of shock that he elicited from people; they gave him life at times.

One of the thugs; a burly man with slicked back black hair, recovered quicker than his buddies and growled, visibly flushed. "W-Who the hell are you, dipshit!? You lookin' for a fight!?"

"Not really." Naruto replied gamely, his lips parting even wider, making the group assorted in front of him warier in return. "I'm just a stranger passing by that happened upon a bunch of idiots doing something fucked up. Something fucked up to a guy I happen to like."

Slowly, the shock fell away from features of the thugs, giving way to anger and indignation.

Within the crowd, the another male thug called out from the gaggle of men and women present. "Fuck this cocky prick! I say we teach the clown a lesson!"

"Yeah!"

"Who the hell does this guy think he is!?"

"The boss will definitely praise us for putting this guy in his place!"

Rolling his shoulders, the shinobi remarked loudly over the din that the thugs were making, idly wondering whether the leather jackets they were all wearing were some kind of uniform. "Your boss ain't here, eh? Sounds like your boss doesn't have the balls to do his own dirty work, huh? Must suck for you guys dattebayo."

The silence that followed his taunt would've allowed for the sound of a pin drop to echo. Though it was obvious that this was the calm before the storm.

Something that was proven a second later.

"What the fuck did he say!?"

"Kill him! Just end him already!"

"He has a death wish, doesn't he!?"

"How dare he insult Ane-san like that!"

The resulting explosion of indignation, abject shock, and horror made the blond cock his head to one side, interested in the show of loyalty and in the fact that their boss was a lady.

Not that he cared, he'd beat the shit outta her anyway, regardless.

He was egalitarian like that.

"Any last words, _brat?_ " one of the thugs took a step forward aggressively, cracking his knuckled, ready to start the massacre.

Too bad he didn't have an inkling that the massacre wasn't gonna be in his favor. "Only people I don't dislike can call me that, so you've just guaranteed yourself another week."

The thug he was talking to scowled. "Another week?"

Features darkening menacingly, the teen clarified himself. "Another week in the hospital, that is."

While several of his comrades roared out in anger and surged forward to prove the goody-goody wrong, the thug that saw the glint in the blond's eyes suddenly wondered whether they had just made a horrible mistake.

* * *

Ah...this was the life.

Lounging on her elaborate, if slightly dirty, throne; the young woman was chomping down on the newest offerings that her underlings had given her. Loving the explosion of flavor that the freshly cooked meat gave her taste buds.

That wasn't the only reason why she was in a good mood either, not at all.

Earlier that day, she had ordered her underlings to cut off the electricity in her brother's house, fucking him over royally once again. Just as he deserved.

As far as she was concerned, he had every ounce of his misfortune coming to him. As a matter of fact, one could say that she was kind of acting like the arbiter of karma.

Or something like that. She didn't really care.

All she cared about was annoying the hell out of the man and provoking him to do _something_.

Immediately, the woman's good mood evaporated a bit, dampening at the thought.

What the hell ever happened to that hot-headed bastard that would punch her square in the jaw for pissing him off? What, did that guy just let her do whatever the hell she wanted now?

That must've been the case, since he never retaliated for her transgressions despite the fact that she made it ridiculously obvious as to who the perpetrator was.

Meat laid abandoned beside her, the boss of the gang was so distracted with her thoughts that her favored underling must've noticed, because she walked up to her and nervously peered at her. "U-Um...Ane-san...? Are you ok?"

"Hah?" the woman sharply glared at the woman that broke her time of introspection, immediately softening at the nervous wreck that greeted her. "Oh, Kale, sorry about that. Don't worry about me, just thinkin'."

Kale's onyx eyes fleetingly glanced at the meat she let down. "A-Are you sure?"

"Of course!" she boasted, hopping off of her throne to pat her protege on the back, unaware of the wince that she made at the blow. "It may be rare, but even I use this noggin' up here, ya know? Don't you worry! More importantly; have you gotten into any fights recently?"

"...E-Eh? Me? Fight? N-No way could I do that..." Kale wiggled, shying away both physically and mentally.

"Man, you need to have more faith in yourself, Kale! Take it from me, you've got something special in there, waitin' to come out! I can feel it! You've just gotta bring it out!"

"...I don't know..."

"Trust me. I can tell that you're special."

"...How could you tell?"

The boss lady smirked, nudging the other woman by the shoulder. "Cause we're practically family, duh. And I won't rest until you've achieved your potential, ya hear me?"

Feeling her own face reflect some of the confidence that her friend was practically exuding, the nervous underling smiled softly. "Yes, Ane-san."

This would've been a heartwarming moment to see from a third person perspective, but the only person there that could've seen such a moment was busy rushing up to the throne from the lower level, panting in exertion from running. "A-Ane-san! There's an emergenc-!"

" _Hah!?_ " his leader scowled fiercely when she turned to him, displeased to say the least. "I was having a moment with my protege here, if you haven't noticed! What could be so important that you would cut into that, _huh!?"_

Shivering, the poor man tried to regain his confidence before he answered. "W-Well, it's about the guys that you sent earlier. We just got an emergency call from 'em -they're under attack, Ane-san!"

Jolted at the news, the boisterous young woman quickly recovered and allowed a wild smirk to adorn her face. "Hah! So that brother of mine has finally decided to grow some balls, eh? Good! It's about time!"

"No...that doesn't seem to be the case." her underling quickly continued when he saw the scowl return to her lips. "But it does seem to be a man that was sent by your brother, and he seems to be really strong!"

"Strong?" the woman's demeanor shifted back to the prominent cocky smirk. "Well...I'm not one to let my underlings got thrown around without retribution anyway, so I suppose I could go out and teach that guy a lesson..."

Beside her, Kale slackened a bit, seeing right through her elder sister figure. She just wanted to get into a fight; like usual.

"Alrighty! Watch the chair, Kale. I'll be right back." her smirk transformed into something vicious, a wild and instinctive excitement rush overtaking her at the fight ahead. "I'll make this _quick_."

* * *

"Alright, just sign here, Cabba-san, and you'll be done with your report."

"Thank you very much, ma'am."

Cabba jotted down his signature upon the piece of paper provided, sighing in relief that his paperwork in regards to the prisoner transfer was about complete.

The prisoners that the blond captured on the planet _Mayyonai_ and in space both forced the elite soldier to sit down and write a report upon what had occurred out on his self-imposed mission, to his chagrin.

Now, thankfully, he was pretty much done. Washing his hands of the pirates once and for all, and freeing himself to enjoy the metropolitan areas of _Sadala_.

First things first though; he should check up on Naruto.

"Ah, Cabba-san! There's someone on the communicator for ya!" a secretary called out from the hallway nearby. "It's Renso-san."

Raising his head from the desk, the elite warrior thanked the man and moved out of his seat to take the call, wondering how his old battle buddy was doing with the blond.

"He's gone."

That was precisely the one thing that he didn't want to hear.

Probably aware of the groan that was going through the youth's head, Renso continued. "I'm not too sure, but I think that he went to find who cut my power off. Which means that he's going after Caulifla."

Oh boy, another name he didn't want to hear. "...I'm not good with Caulifla-san."

"I remember." Renso noted dryly over the call. "And you're not good with Naruto-san either, so imagine what would happen if those two _met_."

A pitiful grown did come out this time, and the veteran definitely felt bad for reminding him of the inevitable headache that he would get if those two met.

Not enough to go after the boy himself though, for once he was thankful of his injury.

"...Right...I'm on my way." Cabba replied listlessly, cutting the connection and steeling himself to prevent the meeting of the two most intractable people he has ever met.

* * *

" _Huaaaaah!_ "

Annnnnd another one bit the dust.

Catching one of the thugs square in the stomach with his foot, Naruto wondered whether he was enjoying their pained grunts a little too much. Was he, perhaps, gaining an appreciation for the art of ass kicking?

He thought about it while his hand clasped the leg of one of the female thugs that tried to kick him,swinging her around and using her as a human -saiyan?- bat against her fellows.

Nah. He was always like that. His new saiyan biology was probably enhancing it though.

Hmm...biological sadism?

Mentally shrugging at the idea, the new saiyan hybrid batted away an errant ki blast and grabbed the collar of the bastard that tried to blindside him with an overhead axe kick, flinging him over his shoulder once he tripped one of the other assholes off of his feet before he could even try and attack.

"T-This guy's a monster!"

"C'mon! There's no way that this prick could take us all on at once!"

The woman that gave that roaring and inspiring speech kissed his fist shortly thereafter, knocking her right out afterwards.

Fist retracting, Naruto swiveled his head to check the remaining men and women that were still standing and not writhing on the floor, grinning sharply as they drew away from him.

"What? Is that all you tough guys got? I'm disappointed, where did all of that fire go?" taunt voiced, the blond flicked his attention across the field, waiting for anyone to try and take a swing, almost disappointed that no one did. "Wait, seriously? That's it?"

"J-Just you wait! Once Ane-san gets here, you'll be sorry that you messed with us!" one of the more braver thugs cried out, shaking as much as his voice was.

"Oh really?" the blond tried to sound concerned, but it came out as a sarcastic drawl. "I'd like to see that."

"At least we agree on somethin' then!"

Blinking, blue eyes trailed towards the sky and focused on the newcomer that cut into his ass kicking, eyebrows creasing at the lack of the leather jacket. DId that mean she wasn't with these punks? "Who are you?"

He received his answer without needing to get an answer form her. "Ane-san! You made it!"

Similar cries of relief and excitement were echoed from the thugs around them, ecstatic that their boss had arrived to support them in their time of need. Practically shouting their accolades.

Something that left the woman with a frown. "C'mon boys, how'd ya all get your ass kicked by this guy? He can't be _that_ tough."

"We're sorry, Ane-san!" one wailed.

"We tried our best!"

"This guy is ridiculously tough!"

Ignoring the bumbling apologetics that the conscious fighters around him were making, Naruto inspected the newcomer with a critical eye, frowning.

She didn't look like much, if he were honest.

A short girl with a slender build; the young woman had a low cut magenta top and a pair of low set purple harem pants on, as well as dark wristbands and pointy shoes. While her choice of clothing was unique, the only thing that really caught his eye was her ridiculously long and gravity-defying spiky hair.

It actually seemed to define her, if he were honest; wild and untamed.

That was the impression he got at least, when her sharp onyx eyes locked onto him.

"So..." she drawled, the beginnings of a dangerous smirk touching at her lips. "You're the guy that gave my boys trouble, huh? My brother must've been desperate to send you, if that's the case."

"Your brother? Who-?" the teen cut off abruptly, lips flattening against one another. "Ranma-jii-chan is your brother?"

"Ranma?" the woman sounded amused at the butchered name of her family member. "...You know what? I like it."

Unlike her, the blond was not so amused. "Oi, you. Why the hell would you fuck with your own brother like that? You shouldn't treat your family like that, especially if he's all you've got. Cherish those that you care about."

"Cherish?" the boss sounded out the word with a twisted lip. "...That sounds lame. Why the hell would I do that? Why is that any of your business anyway?"

"It ain't." the shinobi shook his head crossly. "Just some advice is all."

"Well keep your advice to yourself!" came the harsh retort, before her lips cracked into a vicious grin. "Now then...what do you say that you ignore my underlings for a second and deal with me?"

All around him, the underlings in question began to scatter away from the clearing, using this chance to get away from the devastation that they were all confident that their boss was about to unleash. Wanting no part of it.

Ascending above the treeline, Naruto eventually leveled with the spiky-haired woman, her hands on her hips, her excitement palpable. "You ready for an ass kicking? Cause I'm sure as hell ready to give one, buddy."

"Naruto."

Sharp onyx eyes lit up in amusement. "So that's your name, eh? Alright, I'll play your game; my name is Caulifla, the boss of this little group of misfits. Nice to meetcha'. Now I hope you're ready to fight and get what's coming to ya! Don't you dare hold back, ya hear!?"

She emphasized this statement by releasing her energy, releasing waves upon waves of power that she had kept in leash within her slender body. Her power pushed back anyone and anything that was unlucky to be within ten meters of her physical form.

With one exception, of course. "Oh, I won't, don't you worry about me dattebayo."

Giddy and excited, Caulifla charged forward with a headlong charge, her fist cocked back to deliver all of her strength into a crippling blow that would ruin her opponent and the forest around them.

Seeing the blond tense in surprise at the sudden move, the young woman was certain that her fist was about to implant itself deeply into the stomach of her newest adversary, making a new home for itself. But the balled limb would, in actuality, sail past harmlessly the the blond. His dodge clean and extravagant since he flipped over her.

Clumsily twisting in the air, Caulifla managed to recover her bearings before truly embarrassing herself too much and twisted her head over her shoulder to growl. "Hey! What the hell, Naruto!? Don't dodge!"

Hanging upside down over her, her opponent grinned cheekily. "Or you could have better aim, scrub."

Cocky smirk returning, she splayed her hand out as she brought it back, shooting it forward once she gathered a significant amount of energy within her palms, releasing a violent wave of power.

Grunting, Naruto narrowed his eyes, beginning to take this seriously.

Spinning around to force himself upright, the blond swerved around the blast and raised his arms once he noticed Caulifla appear in front of him in a burst of speed, making her look like she had re-materialized right in front of him.

Howling, she went all in and came at him like a woman possessed, throwing caution into the wind by attacking with a flurry of punches and kicks.

Naruto was only slightly surprised when she charged at him like that, not expecting her to completely forgo defense, but after a few sloppy dodges mixed with his lackluster flying abilities, he was soon able to distinguish a rhythm to her strikes.

The very fact that she had a rhythm at all meant that she was pretty damn inexperienced in fighting though, since her movements were made with little thought or foresight. Thus, they were predictable.

In Caulifla, the shinobi saw a brawler, but one without any sense of creativity.

At least that was the impression he got as he backed up slowly to parry and block each and every attack that was aimed to take him out. Every blow heavy with the woman's full strength behind them.

Growling in frustration at his stonewalling, the gang leader retracted the leg that was blocked by her adversary in an attempt to spin around and slam her other leg against his other unprotected side. Only to find the blond soaring over her, with his hands clasped together.

Only managing to brace herself for the hit, Caulifla found herself flying towards the ground after she was brought low from his clasped hands, forcing her to use her hands to catch herself on the solid earth below. Wincing at the headache the attack gave her.

Moving past the pain, the woman glared at the figure hanging in the sky, her grim smirk forcing it's way to her lips despite her state.

"Alright you tough bastard..." she murmured under her breath, focusing a sizable amount of energy into her hand again, focusing extensively. "Let's see you deal with _this!_ "

With a roar, the punk boss aimed her hand and blasted a huge volley of highly concentrated red energy blasts at her opponent, homing in on the blond with deadly precision.

Her grin grew wickedly once she saw Naruto's eyes widen.

 _"Crush Cannon!"_ she exclaimed wildly, her voice drowned out by the explosion that shook the ground as it erupted in the sky.

Trees and underlings were thrown away from the point of impact as smoke billowed out in thick chunks, coating the area heavily.

Enthusiasm dying down after a moment, Caulifla squinted into the smokescreen above her. "...Shit, where did he-?"

A foot knocked her off of her feet and sent her crashing face first into the forest floor, the taste of dirt registering in her taste buds as she created a trench with her body.

"That hurt." Naruto growled behind her, clicking his tongue as he lowered his leg after kicking the woman into the ground. "Though I guess I deserve that for not taking you seriously."

Already getting onto her hands and knees, Caulifla raised her head from the dirt to glance at the saiyan and human hybrid behind her, grinning toothily. "You're...the real deal, aren't ya? You're no pushover."

"You didn't think so before?" came the reply, warily watching the punk boss got onto her feet again, suspicious of her flippant attitude.

"Not really, to be honest." the gang boss admitted, rubbing the back of her neck to get some kinks out. "But I have to admit; I don't mind being wrong for once. It's...been a _long_ time since someone like you has come around these parts to give me a good fight."

She raised her head, wistful. "Not since Nii-san..."

Her expression hardened a bit after a moment of introspection, her spiky long hair shifting as she shook her head. "Never mind. Now come on; fight me."

Naruto had already adopted a fighting stance, but his eyes had narrowed after he had registered her words. "...By the way, why did you order your goons to cut off Ranma-jii-chan's power lines? What was the point of that?"

"Still on about that, huh?" Caulifla scowled visibly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why do you care so much? What's your stake in this?"

"He did good by me. I just wanted to do good by him as well, that's all."

Snorting, the boss lady leaned back a bit, eyeing him skeptically. "Is that right? Well, if you _really_ wanna do good by him, why not have him come out and stop me himself? I ain't stopping until he _tells_ me to stop."

Cocking his head to one side, the blond had to wonder aloud. "Why does it need to be him?"

"Because-" she faltered for a moment, before growling. "Because that's what he _used_ to do, until he became spineless that is..."

Eyebrows furrowed, an inkling of a clue forming in Naruto's head in regards to this woman's motivation, urging him to open his mouth again to continue the conversation.

"Enough." Caulifla prevented him from digging deeper, nostrils flaring in blatant _want_. "Come over here so I can knock your ass to the ground!"

Naruto was forced to raise his arms to guard against the headbutt that rushed into him, eyes bulging at the unconventional tactic. Who the hell would do something like-?

Oh.

He did that before, didn't he?

Unsure of how he should feel now that he was the one facing unconventional attacks, the saiyan woman in front of him opted to kick her feet out after bouncing her head off of his crossed arms. All while trying not to wince too hard at the headache that she had received from her own attack.

Backflipping away from the foot that narrowly missed his jaw, the blond landed on his hands and twisted his body to swipe away his opponent's feet as soon as she landed on the ground.

As soon as Caulifla managed to gain control over her form by utilizing her energy to levitate, her face was grabbed by the blond after he flew towards her, dragging her with him as he sped across the field.

Gritting her teeth, the saiyan yelled and thrashed against the man that was holding her face and preparing to smash it into something.

Whatever she was trying to say was rendered moot, however, once she was slammed into several of the massive trees that stood between the blond and one of the larger rocky outcrops.

With stars erupting in her vision after every blow, Caulifla only just managed to obtain the presence of mind to charge up a ki blast and fire, hoping to do some damage at point blank range.

It only served to piss off her opponent.

Gasping, the air in the saiyan's lungs was knocked out of her once she was slammed into the rocky outcrop, shattering it upon impact. Her body buried under the rubble.

Naruto skidded to a stop in front of the outcropping, peering within the mass of rocks and pebbles to find the excitable woman that was currently getting throttled, patiently waiting for her next move.

If nothing else; he had to respect her tenacity. It definitely reminded him of someone...

Naruto blinked, staring at the ruined outcropping.

Then his gaze trailed to the ground under him, grinning at the slight rumbling feeling that transferred through his feet.

The earth suddenly cracked and broke apart under the shinobi's very eyes, forcing him to fly into the air before he tumbled over, giving him the chance to watch a large piece of earth rise into the air.

Only to be flung at him, like a projectile of sorts.

Clenching his fist, Naruto tore apart the massive rock with one straight jab that reduced it into several pieces right at it's center, keeping a mental note on the power that was rushing right after it.

Not that he needed to try too hard or anything, since Caulifla's battle cry made her presence known quite obvious.

Raising his arms in a cross guard, the saiyan's hard head crashed into him, leaving a sense of numbness in it's wake at the sheer impact.

Despite getting dazed, apparently Caulifla managed to grab him before he backed up, her sharp canines glinting in the light of the day.

Naruto felt a sense of foreboding crawl up his spine at the sight. A feeling that was vindicated when she viciously chomped at one of his arms, ignoring his resulting shout of alarm.

It must've looked ridiculous when Naruto cried out and began to try to violently shake her off, flinging her around like a ragdoll. At least from the point of view from any neutral observers.

The man that was hanging onto the younger flying man wasn't just a simple bystander, if anything; he expected the view that greeted his gaze. Evidenced by the low sigh under his breath.

When Naruto succeeded to shake Caulifla off by jerking his arm away, he was able to see that, despite her ear-to-ear grin, she had numerous scratches across her body and a particularly bloody gash on her forehead.

Not that it was worth much, since she was still raring to go. "Hah! Bet you didn't expect that, huh!?"

Scowling, Naruto eventually mirrored her expression darkly. "You wanna do unpredictable? I can _do_ unpredictable."

"Bring it!" she taunted gutterly. "I can take it!"

Heeding her words, two fingers connected and joined on each hand in order to form a cross with both hands, prepared to create copies of himself to-

"W-Wait! Please! Don't fight anymore!"

Naruto sighed, already aware of who was heading their way. He hoped in vain that those two would wait until they were done, but no such luck it seemed.

On the other hand, Caulifla was far more vocal in her disappointment. "Haaaah!? Who the hell are you, you fuckin'-!"

"Is that any way to talk to family, you lil' shit!?"

For the first time since he's met her, the blond saw the punk boss get rendered speechless, all thanks to that booming voice.

Descending close to them, Cabba landed while carrying Renso, holding onto the shoulder that was draped over his neck. Where the veteran was looking supremely irate, his kohai seemed more sheepish in comparison.

"Nii-san?" the saiyan looked genuinely surprised to see her brother out of his home, at least before her scowl returned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I didn't want you two to destroy tho forest, since you're both a couple of knuckleheads!" Renso snapped, dismissing Cabba's attempt to calm him down. "And you, imouto, need to learn how to take a _hint_."

 _"Me!?"_ the younger sister was apoplectic. "What about you!? You keep brushing me off even though I keep cutting off your power! What, was it gonna kill you to get off your fatass and say something yourself!?"

"You always restored the power anyway." a sly smirk made it's way to the gruff man's lips. "All I ever had to do was wait 'till you did so, so it wasn't any sweat off my back."

Naruto watched the sibling argument in interest, especially after that little tidbit was given and made Caulifla flush. "I-I didn't want to hurt you or anythin', asshole! I just wanted to piss you off enough to _do_ something!"

"If you haven't noticed, Caulifla..." the older brother noted wryly, before raising his voice to emphasize the latter half of his sentence. "I'm injured!"

"Yet you're here now." Caulifla noted, a new somber tone to her voice. "Yeah, you're here with help, but I've already seen more life in your eyes in the last two minutes than I ever saw in the last _year_ alone."

Renso went quiet, studying his sole family member for a few moments, speculative. "...Wait"

The younger saiyan's sharp gaze, which was surprisingly soft, glanced away after a moment. Self-conscious.

It didn't stop the older of the siblings to widen his eyes after reaching a personal revelation. "...Did you do all of this just to get you out of my funk?"

"...I didn't just do it for you..." she admitted eventually, quietly, as if unwilling to truly take credit for it. "It was annoying, seeing you all mopey. Embarrassing too. As a matter of fact, I did it as much for myself as for you! So don't get it twisted, aight!?"

Where her words were once quiet, they eventually transformed into full blown rant by the time she was finished speaking, but that didn't kill the reflective look in his eye. His focus unwavering on his little sister, as if she was some kind of project that he couldn't make heads or tails out of.

After another beat, Renso finally spoke, grinning all the while. "Alright then, I'll forgive you this time around, Caulifla. I don't expect much from my punk of a sister, really."

Ignoring the scowl at the insult that he snuck her way, the veteran finally addressed the blond, who was staying oddly silent this whole time. "C'mon, let's get back to my place."

Cabba had to agree. His prior experience with the passionate woman left him with a desire to stay out of her line of sight at the best of times.

Thankfully, it seemed that she didn't recognize him, or care to.

Which was why the young man was dismayed to see the blond walk up to her without any sense of wariness whatsoever, though he dutifully kept his mouth shut lest he earn Caulifla's ire.

Apparently, the saiyan woman agreed with his thoughts, since she tensed a bit when he neared. "...What? You wanna go again?"

Naruto, armed with nothing but a friendly smile. "Seems I misjudged you. Wouldn't be the first time, mind you, but it's good to be proven wrong this time around."

"Hah?" the boss lady had no idea what he was talking about.

Smile growing wider, he jerked his head towards the man that was waiting for him; her brother. "You _do_ give a shit."

"I-" Caulifla faltered, nonplussed. "...It's not as sappy as you're makin' it sound."

"Doesn't matter how you word it, it's your actions that count. And I think it speaks for itself." Naruto extended his hand for a handshake, his disarming smile still present upon his features. "Let's start over, eh? Without the misunderstandings?"

Tipping her head to regard the hand, the punk boss breathed in some air before turning back to the blond's eyes. "...You're...kinda weird, ya know that?"

"I get that a lot."

"I can tell." Caulifla hesitantly took the hand, smirking at the callouses that she felt when their hands connected. This guy obviously worked hard to get where he was. "How did you end up with my brother anyway?"

"He offered to help me out." Naruto admitted readily, withdrawing his hand after she withdrew hers. "So I'm staying there a little bit to learn about some stuff."

"Are you now?" the woman tapped her chin, thoughtful. "How long do you figure?"

"No idea. As long as I need, I guess."

Nodding, Caulifla glanced back at the scrawny guy and her brother, raising a thin eyebrow at the way the former was trying not to meet her eyes, before turning back to the man in front of her. "Well, for what it's worth, sorry about the whole mess. Though I ain't apologizin' for biting you."

Internally, she frowned at what she had said, feeling that she wanted to say something _else_ , but that she didn't have the gumption to do so for some reason.

Rolling his eyes at the reminder, the blond turned to go, waving his hand in farewell as he did so. "Welp, see you later then, try not to pick on your brother too much now."

"Y-Yeah." Caulifla didn't know what else to say, so she watched as the trio of men grouped together and helped her brother into the air, soaring off into the sky and towards his home.

She didn't say a word as she gazed right after them, even after they were long gone from her sight. Thinking.

She stayed that way when her subordinates came along, and remained even after she absentmindedly ordered them to fix the cables that they sabotaged. Like usual.

After a few more moments she raised her hand, eyeing it critically, seeing the bruises that were on her knuckles.

That very hand then went higher, gently touching the bloody gash on her forehead, and trialed down gently to feel the assortment of wounds she had received from her short spar.

Vividly, she recalled the fact that she saw no such wounds on the blond, or the fact that he even used an energy attacks for that matter.

Then, right then and there, Caulifla knew what she had wanted to say. To ask. To _demand_.

"I..." Caulifla raised her bruised fist into the sky, aimed at where she had last saw the group, her grin vicious. "Wanna fight you again, Naruto."

Strange.

She wasn't usually so good with names.

* * *

 **AN: Alrighty, this chapter's done. Next chapter will probably focus on Naruto learning how to utilize energy blasts without blowing himself up accidentally (he will likely do so anyway) and properly introduce Kale.**

 **Also, yeah, I'm gonna get rid of the Power Levels of last chapter, that shit will just get on my nerves later on. And I thank everyone for their suggestions, though it should be noted that little-to-none will actually be implemented. (I kinda had a plan already... .) Though some of them did provoke a thought or two, so thanks nonetheless.**

 **Hopefully I didn't butcher Caulifla's character too much, I figured that she was only really open to Kale in an effort to open her up, and her family relationships were either strained or a bit more...complicated. Yeah, so I'm trying to put some depth here, hopefully it aligns with who she is. I figured that she was kind of a prick, but the kind of prick that would only be a prick to help you...if that makes sense.**

 **...A jerk with a heart of gold maybe? Eh, I'm just rambling now.**

 **PS. I didn't really spell check since I'm so tired, so I'm gonna do that tomorrow when I have free time. (If I get any at least...) So plz bear with it.**

 **So yeah, cya next chapter everyone! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Kale was concerned.

Yes, some could say that that was her default emotion by all metrics, but she was considerably _more_ concerned than usual. And that was definitely a cause for concern.

Her dearest friend, one could say even a sister in all but blood, was agitatedly chomping on her customary dino meat, uncaring for the mess that she was making. Now this fact alone wasn't cause for alarm, if anything; it was pretty standard.

The issue came afterwards after her meal, where she normally forced one of her many subordinates to fight her, usually knocking several out without hurting them too much for a workout before crawling back to her throne. Satisfied.

So it came as a mighty surprise to anyone that knew the woman and her rampant battle lust that she had done nothing except stew on her throne, alternating between glaring at nothing in particular or appearing contemplative.

Then, the strangest thing happened. Kale remembered it so vividly that she could picture it easily, the shock and dismay that colored not only her expression, but the expressions also dominated the entirety of her best friend's gang as well. Their cries and wales echoing across their hideout.

It wasn't until she told them all to stuff their faces in each other's crotches that the gang calmed down; assured in the fact that Caulifla was still Caulifla. But Kale wasn't so convinced.

She forced herself to let go of her suspicions however and simply waited for her back at their hideout, patient, assuming that she went off to twist a few arms, threaten a few locals, butt heads with the authorities and call it a day. Another normal day.

Except, it became obvious to her that this was not a normal day.

Not only did Caulifla act strange in the morning, the woman didn't even come back until the late evening, bearing scratches and bruises eerily reminiscent of that time where she went off to antagonize her brother again…

Painted lips formed a scowl at the memory. Now that she thought about it, wasn't that the exact point where her precious friend began to act strangely? Wasn't it true that there the Caulifla of that morning was different to the Caulifla that returned?

The usually boisterous woman didn't speak much about that incident, and neither did much of the gang members –though it should be noted that Kale didn't really work up the courage to ask them directly. To anyone besides Caulifla, she always managed to become a stammering mess, though the other gang members didn't tease her much about it.

They were a dysfunctional group, but she wouldn't trade it for anything.

Which was why Kale was so nervous. Anything that could disrupt this group always made her nervous, and that was why Kale was drifting across the lush sky, keeping her ki carefully maintained so that she could follow her friend's route to…wherever she was going.

Another day had passed, and Caulifla had flew away to parts unknown once again, but this time around, Kale kept note of which direction she was heading. While the borderline fighting addict could be a decent leader when she wanted to; she was nothing if not straightforward, so Kale had no issues determining that the saiyan would be heading towards her destination without any hint of subtlety.

…She considered that a positive.

Drifting across the sky also made her nervous by the way. Just like physical contact, verbal contact, and eye contact. And animals too, now that she thought about it. And people she didn't know. And most people that she _did_ know.

Hmm…

Moving past the thought, Kale tentatively sensed her closest friend's ki up ahead, sparking in roaring energetically as it always did, though it seemed more…lively than it has for a while. Of course, the young woman felt her concerns rise up a notch again, though she trudged on.

Soon after she realized where she was going, and narrowed her eyes a bit in faint suspicion.

Caulifla and her brother didn't have the best relationship, that had been an obvious thing to figure out with all of the times she had ordered her subordinates to piss him off. Though why, Kale didn't exactly know. Had something changed?

That was something she was about to figure out as she neared the distant house up ahead, it's colorful decorum standing out a bit even amongst the colorful fauna around it. Interestingly, there was a familiar figure standing right outside the home with her hands on her hips, scowling.

"Ane-san…" she found her at the very least, though she very much wasn't alone. She was in fact scowling at the three men that were bunched up together near the underbrush of the forestry. Kale could recognize at least one of them; she saw Caulifla's older brother on at least one occasion, but the other two were a mystery.

She twitched nervously just looking at the new faces. New faces were never good. Ever.

Squinting, she could tell that one of the two mystery men was a saiyan, seeing as he had spiky dark hair and the traditional Salada Defense Force armor, though he was a bit on the skinny side. There was nothing familiar about him besides the occasional nervous glances that were sent towards Caulifla; that she could at least understand. Though she still didn't like him.

Inevitably, that left the other half of the 'mystery man' group, who was currently cupping his hands together, gathering ki to create the ball contained by his palms. He was listening to Caulifla's older brother with grumbles and grunts as he shook his head, shaggy blond hair mimicking the smallest of movements.

Obviously fake hair, of course, since she knew for a fact that there was no saiyan that could have that kind of hair, unless it was dyed. So it was very likely that he was a punk like many of their gang's members, though even they didn't do something quite so silly. The strange whisker-like marks were just another level entirely, and Kale quailed at the thought of what kind of person would deface themselves so willingly just to create such an appearance.

Only a truly barbaric saiyan would do that –and such an individual was hanging around _Caulifla!_

Caulifla was in _danger-!_

"Whatcha' doin' up here, Kale?"

Kale yelped and managed to jump –no, _fly_ higher into the air in sheer shock, whirling around to meet the befuddled gaze of the woman in question. Her hands squarely on her hips. "A-Ane-san…" all in a moment, her worries drained away. No harm would come to her as long as this woman was with her.

"Who's she, Caulifla? A friend? Her intense stare has been boring holes at the back of my head for a while now, ya know?"

The fact that an unfamiliar voice piped up near her was unnerving enough, the fact that it was addressed to her even more so, and the idea that it was literally _right_ behind her made her world spin on an axis.

When her eyes inevitably found the source of the voice, she locked with the friendly grin of the ultimate delinquent that she was suspicious of mere seconds earlier.

"Yo! My name's –uh…?"

Kale heard no more, since her eyes had already started to spin at the close proximity much like her head. In fact; _everything_ seemed to have spun around her, an idea that baffled her, though she could understand the sensation of _falling_ for whatever reason…

* * *

"Hey! Now look at what you did! How the hell are ya gonna repay me for hurting my precious protégé, _ehhhhh!?_ "

Naruto wasn't sure what was going on anymore.

When he woke up yesterday, he figured he would continue to learn more about the nuances of the newest influx of powers introduced to his body; ki, and have an otherwise peaceful day outside of the occasional mishap.

Then Caulifla came by, hands on hips, declaring that she wanted a rematch, despite the fact that she had clearly not completely recovered after their bout the other day. What kinda idiot came back to the guy that kicked their rear end while still bearing the wounds of their prior butt-kicking?

Then Naruto paused, remembering that he would always do that when he was younger.

He promptly allowed her to stay in the vicinity, but warned her that he was training, so he couldn't indulge the battle maniac until he was done. It took the saiyan woman all of an hour before she began to pick apart his attempts at gathering ki, much to her brother's chagrin.

It was always like; "What're you, some kinda sissy!? You gotta put more _oomph_ in the thrust of the hand! Make 'em feel like you're tryin' to incinerate their guts!"

These interruptions had finally made him snap roughly near the end of their training cycle; just enough that he put together his accumulated knowledge of how to blast people into use and raised his hand to do just that to the ravenette that refused to stop criticizing his blasting form.

All that came out of the palm of his hand was the little ball of ki that was already at its death throes as soon as it left his hand, making such a tiny crater once it hit the earth that a rain drop could probably fill it hole by itself.

Caulifla barked out in laughter, clutching at her sides as she fell over.

Renso had the decency to disguise his abrupt guffaw into a cough.

Even Cabba chuckled, and he was still trying to avoid the rambunctious saiyan woman's attention the entire time she was here!

All while Naruto stared at his palm forlornly, feeling like it had betrayed him somehow despite how clearly nonsensical it was. Feelings mattered damn it.

Still recovering from her tumble on the grassy floor, Caulifla vowed that she'd be back the following day, though no one could fathom exactly why. According to the oldest male of the group; Caulifla did what Caulifla did, general good sense or logic be damned.

True to this statement, Caulifla showed up again the following day, insistent on having that fight, insinuating that he was just scared that she was gonna win the next time they fought. Childish in Naruto's opinion.

Renso had to get in-between the two of them as they grinded their heads against one another, sparks flying as tempers flared. Caulifla was promptly banished from their side of the clearing until his impromptu training was completed. "Unless she learned to how to be a decent saiyan being, she'd have to be treated like the brat she was." he claimed.

So Caulifla stewed on one side of the clearing while two out of the three men tried not to get fried as Naruto experimentally set things on fire with small ki blasts.

Then Caulifla's friend showed up and fainted soon thereafter, leading to the current situation. Reminding him of a certain shy friend of his in the process. "Hey! How the hell was I supposed to know that she would keel over as soon as I greeted her!?"

"It's about the principle of the damn thing! The principle! You knocked her unconscious, so that means you oughta do something in recompense, it's only natural, right?"

"What!? How is that natural or fair!?"

Next to the two arguing young adults, Renso shuffled his feet and leaned over the unconscious woman right behind his sister, inclining his head as he recalled her familiar visage in his memory banks. Her ebony hair tied into a high ponytail, that long bang over the left side of her face, that red shirt exposing her midriff, her red skirt, and those golden boots…

Ah, yes. "Your friend, imouto?"

Rounding on him, dark eyes hooded, his sole family member was openly scowling at him. "What? Wanna talk to me _now?_ "

Ah, she was still sore about the fact that she was turned away like a child earlier that day, hm? She was also probably still hesitant in dealing with the man after everything that happened. "Don't be childish, come on."

Caulifla, for all of her bluster, still crouched in front of the woman in red, giving him an impression that she was some kind of mother protecting her cub. "…She might be."

"She definitely is." Naruto dryly placed his opinion onto the table, unaffected by the withering stare sent by the two siblings. "Oh come on, it's obvious. Isn't that right, Cabba?"

"Please don't drag me into this…"

Much to Cabba's chagrin, his relatively minor contribution into the conversation was noticed by the one person that he really didn't want to notice. Sharp eyes, like a thug's, were drawn towards him, a solitary eyebrow rising upon the owner's forehead in curiosity. "…Cabba? That sounds kinda familiar…"

The skinny soldier went stiff, much like how a small animal would when in the presence of a predator. Hoping beyond hope that her attention would be diverted elsewhere. Unfortunately, he forgot whom he was next to.

He wasn't talking about the blond this time around. "Do you seriously not know who he is? I get that you don't have that many brain cells to spare, but come on now…"

"Rather be a dumbass than be a fatass." his sister retorted, crossing her arms. "Besides, I seriously don't know him. How about you refresh my memory instead of being a smartass, hm?"

Naruto snapped his attention between the two, unsure whether they were genuinely insulting one another or were just joking around. Impossible to tell he decided, since he'd never sound so hostile against people he liked.

Wait. Shit. He did that all the time. _Fuck._

Ignoring the violently shaking head of Cabba, Renso jerked his large head towards his general direction. "That's the guy that was with me when you had the bright idea to set off fireworks over my house."

Caulifla paused, searched her memory banks, and then guffawed loudly. "Wait, that was _him!?_ I coulda' sworn that that was just a random hobo lookin' for a bruisin'! He went on and on about 'protecting people' and all that jazz, like some kinda soldier or somethin'. I didn't really pay attention after I threw him out at the mountain that you used to have."

"Used to have…" Renso sighed lowly, missing that mountain. His blood relative always did manage to break the things he liked.

Meanwhile, Cabba was leaning away from Caulifla's searching gaze, inspecting him thoroughly. "Coulda' sworn that you had more meat in those bones though…"

"Like you're one to talk." Naruto leaned over the unconscious woman just casually left on the ground, wondering what should be done with her. Just leave her there?

"Was that a challenge I heard?" predictably, the wildest saiyan of the group couldn't resist the bait. "Because I coulda' sworn that I heard a challenge, and I'd be _very_ disappointed if that wasn't a challenge. Just enough so that I'd probably get it started without asking as a matter of fact!"

Battle maniac that one was. Reminded him of Kiba, though he was literally a mutt, so he got a pass in the shinobi's books. "You're obsessed with fighting, aren't you? Like I've told you over the past dozen times you've asked – _I'm_ _busy._ I don't have time to fight you right now dattebayo!"

Caulifla stamped her foot so hard that it made the forest shake for a second, jabbing a finger at him. "You're just scared that I'll kick your ass this time-!"

"You tried that taunt already."

She froze, suddenly uncertain. "…Did I imply that you're got a thing for my brother?"

Renso choked on air as Naruto nodded. "That too."

"How about that you've got no balls?"

"Uh-huh."

"That you're afraid of losing to a chick?"

"Yep."

"That you're one of those scumbags that act that after you've won once that you could lord it over everyone afterwards?" she actually met someone like that before too.

"Yes, yes, and _yes_. You've tried everything, now let me train before I meet a guy that could kick my ass in the future. It'd be kinda stupid to lose because I can't throw a ki blast." the shinobi was exasperated, there was no mistaking this fact. Yet it seemed that the rambunctious woman knew no propriety or restraint.

Opening her mouth to protest again, the retort died in her throat when a groan emerged from behind her. Long ebony spikes swung around with her sudden movements as she cradled Kale's head as she came to, eyes fluttering. "Kale! Hold on, give yourself a sec, you hit your head kinda hard, ya know?"

Watching the scene with something approaching keen interest, Naruto leaned a bit towards Renso to mutter under his breath. "Who could've guessed that she could be patient with someone, eh Ranma-jii-chan?"

Renso didn't bother to react to the youth, he had more or less given up on making the blond alien get his name right and focused everything on the foreign idea that his sister could actually mutter out words of encouragement aimed at someone weaker than her. He never thought something like that was even possible for someone so…violent.

Bleary eyed, the woman that Naruto had managed to overhear was named Kale blinked at Caulifla for a moment before inspecting her surroundings, inevitably landing her attention squarely upon the group of men standing just a few meters away from her.

She 'eeped' and tried to make herself as small as possible by forming a tight ball and hiding behind the prodigy saiyan's baggy purple pants. "A-A-Ane-san…"

"Hey, hey…no worries, I know." Caulifla grinned widely at her self-appointed protégé, inexplicably pleased for reasons that no one there could fathom. "You came here to challenge that bastard too, right?"

Kale raised her head, jaw dropping to express just how completely off the mark her close friend really was. "U-Um, no that's not-"

Instead of listening -fat chance of that she supposed- the talented saiyan gang leader clutched her hands together in a vice grip, her dark eyes glistening in pride. "I knew that you'd understand my plight, Kale! None of my minions have the balls to challenge me to better themselves, I've always had to start the fight. It's boring without a challenge, ya know? And now that I figured out that there's someone this strong just hanging around Nii-san's place…you know what I've gotta do, don't ya?"

Grasping her slender arms, Caulifla lifted Kale up onto her feet, patting her companionably while the receiver gazed at her with eyes akin to what small animals had when staring down predators. "That's right, Kale! Here and today, I'm gonna prove that I'm still a badass and kick _that_ guy's ass!" she said this while obnoxiously jamming her finger towards the blond that was blandly watching the scene.

Kale felt her shoulders slack in response, simultaneously unsurprised and shocked; if that made sense. "I-I see…"

"And that's why you're my protégé!" Caulifla crowed loudly, spinning on the balls of her feet to grin viciously at the assortment of males watching them, focusing on the one who seemed mostly unfazed by her performance. "So; are ya gonna be a bitch and refuse to fight me again!?"

Inevitably, Naruto felt all eyes slide up towards him, curious about he was going to respond. Too bad for them that he had dealt with worse than peer pressure. "Nah, I'm good."

The shinobi wasn't sure how people managed to slip on solid ground while they weren't moving, but all around him everyone managed it, excluding the newest addition of Kale that was simply sweatdropping at the scene around her.

Scrambling to her feet, Caulifla gaped at him. "Y-You can't just say no after I opened my heart out to everyone! That's fucked up!"

"I don't care." was the answer she received, to her frustration. "I'm busy. I'll think about it after I figured out how to blast people properly."

Once again, Caulifla scowled -at least that's what she intended to do; it looked more like a pout- at his response, unwilling to actively force him to fight due to some vague sense of fairness, but unwilling to give up. Naruto wished he could find a way to distract the girl with her one-track mind so that he could focus freely…

He thought about it for all of two seconds and snapped his fingers. "Alright, how about we make a deal?"

Renso and Cabba exchanged glances, expressing a pointed look and a wary look respectively, though Caulifla was oblivious to this as she saw stars. "You finally changed your mind!?"

The shinobi grinned. "Now hold on; you want to beat people stronger than you, right? That's why you wanna beat me up?"

"Of course!" slamming her fist into her palm, the resounding echo and the eager twist of her lips brooked no confusion about her aggressive intentions. It'd be impossible to guess at what she wanted.

"Then before you've gotta beat me…" Naruto thumbed Cabba casually -far too casually- over his shoulder, tossing him under the rhetorical bus for the sake of his sanity. "…You should beat him first."

Standing aside from the whole debacle, Renso decided that his old friend couldn't look more horrified; he doubted that certain infamous bounty hunters could spawn such a face. "W-What!?"

"Hah!?" Caulifla obviously agreed with that sentiment, though she was decidedly more aggravated than distraught. "Why should I fight a scrawny guy like him!?"

Well, her doubts had some merit, Cabba didn't really didn't look like much. "Because despite how he looks, I'd wager that he's actually stronger than you dattebayo."

Dark eyes narrowed dangerously at the comparison, hackles raised at what she perceived to be an insult, for what other way could she interpret his words? But then, like a storm that had materialized only to vanish into a pleasant sunny day…she smiled.

"Fine, I'll fight him. But after I defeat captain skinny bones over there and prove you wrong, then you've gotta fight me." she prompted doggedly, leaning forward just a tad.

Cabba felt himself relax. While the blond was ludicrously random at times, he figured that even he wouldn't want to encourage Caulifla, so his eyes snapped open wide and jaw rhetorically hit the floor when he saw Naruto _nod_ in agreement. "Alright, I can live with that."

" _Ehhhh!?_ "

" _Alright!"_

Two voices shouted out their opinions loudly, and it was obvious who voiced what, at least to anyone that knew them.

* * *

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

It was a genuine question, seeing as Renso seriously wondered about this boy's sanity from time to time. Especially given his initial first impression of him; what with the fact that he fell unconscious on his front porch and everything.

Apparently, the blond wasn't too concerned. "Why? Don't have faith in Cabba?"

"I have faith in his abilities." the old man rubbed the small beard on his chin, glancing away to check the man in question. "I just don't have faith in that thug of a sister to take it easy."

Onyx took in the sight of his younger friend; Cabba, nervously shuffle in place as he steadily stretched his arms, his back turned to his future sparring opponent, who was grinning like the idiot she was while speaking to the fretting Kale. Unlike him, she looked to be raring to go since she was currently hopping off of the ground with her toes.

Just looking at the scene gave the retired soldier a headache, which was only exasperated when he turned and saw Naruto blasted an errant tree nearby. Cursing under his breath. "Yeah, well, he's tougher than you think. Trust me on that."

Finally, the shinobi met Renso's frown, unconcerned with the young soldier that he had seemingly sent to get beat up by his blast-happy family member. "How do you let loose your concentrated ki without it puttering out like a dying balloon?"

Sighing, he deigned to answer what seemed like such a simple query to most, but confounded the boy in front of him. "Your ki is a part of you, kid, imagine it like an extension of yourself. That feeling that you get when you gather your power in your attack? Retain it, even when the blast leaves your hands." he paused there, considering. "Or just stick to ki blasts."

The shinobi cocked his head, trying to equate what he learned with the chakra abilities he had obtained over the years. Thinking on it; he only had a limited amount of control over things like the _rasenshuriken_ when thrown, yet the ki blast he kept firing sort of…sputtered out.

He understood why, at least; he understood _now_. He gathered the power and then flung it out like a ball instead of keeping his focus on it –that coupled with his inexperience in using ki to create a _wave_ , and he wasn't advancing much at all.

He frowned and stuck at that though; why did the idea of a ki wave spark… _something_ from the depths of his mind? An image of a blue wave coming out of cupped hands…

No, a _pink_ wave?

Stuck in his conundrum, Renso regarded the blond silently for a sparse second or two before turning just in time to see his idiot sister and rookie friend faceoff against one another as they approached each other with steady gaits. Only one of them looked eager for this.

"Alright!" Caulifla slammed her fist onto her palm, teeth bared as her lips curled back, muscles coiling within her deceptively powerful arms. "Hope you're ready for this, cause I sure as hell am!"

For his part, Cabba scratched his cheek as he offered a nervous smile tinged with uncertainty. "I'd really prefer _not_ to do this, if possible?"

"No way!" the predictable answer came, huffing indignantly. "C'mon, where's your saiyan spirit? I get it, you're nervous and shit, but if you've got the same blood as I do; then you oughta enjoy the challenge, right?"

She wasn't entirely wrong in her assessment; there was a part of him that shivered in faint anticipation at the incoming clash, though the soldier was hesitant to fight his friend's sister regardless –and not because he was confident in losing.

It was the opposite; he knew for a fact that he was going to _win_.

Prior to the Universal Tournament between Universe 6 and 7, Cabba probably would've lost in a fight with the prodigy in front of him; but things had changed drastically since then. Barring a miracle, there was no way that he could lose…and no way that Caulifla wouldn't notice if he held back.

If he defeated her? She'd become obsessed with defeating him and reclaiming her self-appointed title as the strongest.

If he held back? She'd notice and prod him consistently afterwards to fight back, refusing to let bygones be bygones. Caulifla was one of those saiyans that Cabba had the most trouble with; those that _refused_ to stand still when they faced the prospect of a good fight. An irony considering his race.

Again, Cabba muttered dark things under his breath. He hoped that Naruto would become the lightning rod for her attention, but it seemed that he had managed to redirect that attention…

It was well played, as loath as the soldier was to admit it.

"Kale! Count us down!" Caulifla barked, crouching low, predator instincts fired up.

Raising an arm and counting down like her sister figure ordered, Cabba tensed whilst the knife-hand reached its lowest possible point, indicating that the match has started in earnest. And as he suspected; the wild woman didn't hesitate and charged headlong towards him.

A speeding bullet smashed into him, and the skinny saiyan could only wince and grit his teeth when Caulifla's hard head crashed into his crossed guard. Feet thrown out from under him.

With predictable viciousness she twisted in the air and struck her leg out in a roundhouse, sending him in an uncontrollable spin that ended with him slamming into the ground face first. The stinging pain reminded him of someone.

Oh, right, this felt like facing Naruto all over again. Down to the heady and complete self-confidence that she carried.

"Hey! Don't tell me that's all you've got? C'mon, I'm just gettin' started!" she declared loudly and boldly, hopping on the balls of her feet, an eager energy running through her. "I wanna see what that jerk Naruto swa that made him believe that you could even _think_ about facing me!"

He knew exactly how and why, but that didn't change the fact that this situation was exactly what he wanted to avoid. Just how did he get himself into these situations exactly? He opted to help a random guy out in the middle of nowhere and then kept getting dragged along ever since; pulled along by the seat of his metaphorical pants.

Cabba felt a burst of frustration at the fact, anger spiking, forming a ball of ill feelings that burned into something tangible. Deep within himself, the young man held onto that feeling, and, for a split-moment; his dark eyes changed color. He _refused_ to become a punching bag and stall out this fight.

"Well, whether you're ready or not, here I come!" with blistering speed Caulifla shot forward, tired of waiting for the other saiyan to get back up on his feet. Feeling disappointed with the _lack_ of a challenge she was experiencing. Not even much of a warm up-

" _Enough!_ "

Her fist halted a mere third of a meter away from the intended destination, frozen in place due to the hand that clutched her arm. Blinking, she expected to see a more serious Cabba finally take center stage; giving her a genuine challenge.

What she saw instead was a guy that _looked_ like Cabba that had his hair bleached with liquid gold and his eyes replaced with burning emeralds. Her free hand rose up to tap her cheek in interest, humming. "…Huh, so that's a thing-"

Her head snapped up and her teeth clacked together, blood spurting through her teeth thanks to the vicious uppercut. Her sight became fuzzy for a moment, but she managed to shake it off once took a few steps back to recover. A bloody grin aimed at the sight of the skinny Cabba with his arm outstretched. "Now that's more like it! So what's this? Some super form that makes you go blond like blondie over there?"

He stonily stared at her, eyes sharpened like the sharpest of shivs. "It's called _Super Saiyan_."

"Sounds stupid." Caulifla remarked bluntly, adopting a fighting stance after wiping away the blood from her face. "But that punch of yours had merit; so let's see what you've got!"

Surging to meet the challenge, Cabba slammed into the gang leader, flying off into the distance and uprooting everything in their way. Taking to the skies after a hazardous climb with the two warriors disengaging and reengaging again and again, their intermittent clashes creating shockwaves in the air that was felt even to those who were watching on the ground.

This was especially for the case for Kale, who was initially confident that Caulifla would win; but couldn't help but be worried now. She pumped her clenched hands together, staring firmly at the sky where a golden aura continuously struck against a familiar violet red aura.

"Worried about her?"

Kale jumped when the blond appeared next to her, arms crossed, hair pierced by twigs of all sizes as if he had arbitrarily decided to sleep in a shrub. "She's ridiculously talented, seriously. Poor Cabba is gonna have a hard time keeping up with her once she actually tries and train herself up."

"…What's with you?"

The newly-forged ki user glanced at the diminutive woman, attempting to confront him, but quickly withered at his stare. "Don't look at me, I didn't want to have a fight with that crazy woman; I just wanted to learn how to shoot beams." he glanced away from her, releasing her from the crippling nervousness she was experiencing. "Thanks by the way, Ranma-jii-chan!"

Walking up by him, Caulifla's elder brother gazed towards the sky, watching his sister get smacked into the earth to send dirt and soil a few meters into the air before shooting right back up, refusing to give in. As always. "You want to thank me? Start using my real name from now on; Renso."

"Your name was Renso? Why didn't you say so?"

A groan was the only answer to that.

"What is that transformation?" Kale had to ask, managing to scrounge up whatever was left of her self-confidence for the question. "Is that why you have blond hair?"

"What? No, no, no. I'm all natural." the young man puffed his chest as he combed his locks, smirking. "He's using a transformation that raises his power to monstrous levels. Apparently all saiyans can do it, though I haven't figured out how he did it yet."

"All saiyans…?" the shy woman asked doubtfully, glancing back up in the sky. She's never heard of such a power before, so how could all saiyans accomplish this great change?

"It certainly looks impressive." Renso admitted, witnessing the golden aura in the sky released a beam that pretty much obliterated a nearby mountain as collateral damage when it was dodged by his feisty relative. "Hmmm…"

Glancing his way to study the older man's profile for a moment with mild interest, Naruto turned back to the battle, cocking a brow when a stream of ki bolts exploded on the Super Saiyan's position. It didn't do much if the return fire gave away anything. "Say, Renso, you were a soldier that went around the galaxy, right? In your travels; have you ever heard of a planet called Earth before?"

"Cabba told you about that, eh?" scratching the stubble on his chin, the retired soldier thought on the question, coming back with a definitive shake of the head. "Sorry kid, there's way more planets than you can count in a galaxy, let alone a universe. Learning the names of planets wasn't my thing, and even if it was; my main concern was taking out the scumbags in the cosmos."

"Are there a lot of those?" it seems that that much hadn't changed in this universe; pricks doing prickly things. No, wait, that last bit didn't make sense-

"There are, believe it or not. Hell, not too long ago Frost's entire organization was revealed to be a racketeering gig and he has been on the run since; with his group broken apart and still on the Most Wanted list. Then there's that crazy pirate gang made up of the Hera race…"

Renso shook his head despairingly, frustrated by the sheer amount of pirates and criminals that inhabited space. It was enough to make a professional soldier like him despair. Still; he had to get back on topic, it was plainly important to the younger man. "Anyway, if finding this planet of yours is that important, why not try and seek out the Namekians?"

"Namekians?" blue eyes tore themselves away from the aerial spectacle right as another explosion viscerally ripped through the air. "Who are they? Can they help me out?"

"They're probably the friendliest group of people you'll ever meet. They mostly stick to their planet; Namek, but they make a lot of friends with other races. They unintentionally probably have the biggest network that can help you pinpoint a specific planet. And barring that…"

He hesitated there, almost bashful. "Well –there's been rumors lately that there are wish-granting orbs that the Namekians hoard on their planet recently; whether they're true or not is anyone's guess. Either way, that seems like a decent bet, right?"

Naruto frowned, eyebrows scrunching. He didn't exactly have many other options to consider; if nothing else, this was at least a lead. "Then that's my next course dattebayo."

Right when he finished that statement, a meteorite skidded across the field and towards them, sliding to a stop right in front of them. The three humanoids peered down to see Caulifla covered in wounds, panting, and struggling to get back up. Her head bowed and features shadowed.

"Give it up." Cabba landed behind her soon after, his golden spiky hair made brighter by the aura that leaked out of every pore in his body. "You can't beat me, Caulifla-san!"

The fierce warrior whose face was grounded continued to struggle to get to her feet, teeth bared in as she pushed with the rest of her fragmented might to stand. And yet she faltered, arms buckling, and a pained chuckle escaped her chapped lips.

"Ane-san…?" Kale was seriously worried about her sister figure, not sure of how she should react to this strange reaction to getting beaten down. Her dark eyes widened when the wild youth raised her head, that bloody grin of hers coming back in force.

"Kale…" left eye half closed and bruised, beaming – _beaming_ at her with an inexplicable joy that she had never seen upon her face before. "T-There are people _stronger_ than me…!"

She slipped, falling onto her back, laughing and coughing at the impact. Stilling to stare at the sky, a genuine smile creeping upon the edges of her lips. "If there are strong guys here –there's gotta be strong guys out there too, right…?"

It was a strange thing for Caulifla to think about. For most of her life she had had incredible fighting power; easily trouncing over other saiyans for funsies. She had even started a gang just to experience the joy of fighting a little longer with a dedicated group –but this was different.

For the first time it felt like the world, no, the _universe_ had opened up for her. There were plateaus yet unreached! Heights yet to be scaled! _Fights that haven't been fought!_

She laughed heartily, sputtering into a cough, head falling in a dull **thunk** on the ground underneath her. "I give, I give. I hate to admit it; but that pixie form of his really kicked my ass…"

"…What's this? A smart and reasonable decision? Who are you and what have you done with my sister?" Renso snarked, sidling up next to her fallen body, kneeling next to her while Naruto and Kale trailed after; one clearly more agitated than the other.

"Fuck off." she managed to wheeze, too tired to argue further, blearily grinning at her wide-eyed protégé. "Yo, Kale~ I lost; weird week, eh?"

"Ane-san…" said younger woman murmured, scanning her wounds. They were worse than the last time she came back home full of wounds. "Are you ok?"

Rolling her head on the ground to see Cabba approaching them, back to his concerned old self again, her head rolled back to the other female, a sleepy smile gracing her. "To be honest? Never better."

Naruto snorted loudly at that, muttering something about saiyans, and turned to meet the skinny male warrior halfway. "Yo, Cabba; you won! Feel better with all of that stress you've been feeling out of your system?"

Cabba shouldn't have been surprised to hear that query, but he couldn't hide the shock that hit him regardless. "How did you-?"

"You seemed to be a little stressed after dealing with me for a while, so I just figured you needed to release that pent up frustration dattebayo. Did it work?" there was also another matter too that the shinobi kept close to his heart, opting to speak on it later, in private.

Scratching his cheek, the young man inclined his head with a chuckle, giving up in understanding this strange whiskered guy. "I can't say it didn't. Is Caulifla-san alright? I think I might've gone too far."

"Nah, she's a tough one." thumbing at her over his shoulder, Naruto raised an eyebrow playfully. "I should thank ya, it seems that her attention has been dragged away from me and towards the _universe_ now; congratulations, you've saved us both from a headache."

" _Oi~"_ Caulifla glared at both boys halfheartedly, sighing after another moment's hesitation. "Ugh, never mind, I'm too tired to deal with you assholes…"

"Pleasant, ain't she?"

"Shut it, Nii-san."

Renso patted her arm, ignoring the wince that she displayed and glanced at the sole natural blond in the group. "So you'll be leaving soon then, brat?"

"Yep, gonna leave tomorrow night after a bit more practice with my beam attacks. A vague lead is better than nothing at all, ya know?" Naruto turned to Cabba, nudging him playfully. "Wanna tag along?"

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"Oh come on, we're gonna be looking for magical wishing balls and going on an adventure! I mean; is there anything else that is as exciting as that going on for you right now?" he pressed, aiming to appeal to his adventurous spirit. "It'll be a hell of a story to tell to the ladies, ya know~?"

"Stop that." the saiyan soldier cleared his throat, flushed, then paused suddenly. "Wait, magical wish orbs? No- it can't be _those_ , maybe…the Namekians? I heard there were rumors about them having wish-giving orbs too…"

"Uh, wait, do you know something about those magic orbs of theirs? Because you sound like you know something." call him suspicious, but last he checked people didn't just stop in their tracks mentally and go over what they knew if they _didn't_ know something; not that he managed to hear a word Cabba said under his breath.

"I might, actually." Cabba made his decision then and there. "Alright, I'll come too, I want to meet these Namekians anyway, I think."

"Awesome!" pumping a fist in triumph, the blond was internally cheering at the idea that he wouldn't have to pilot his ship this time; he wouldn't want to destroy his new -stolen- baby, or get stranded. "We'll leave tomorrow night around 10, make sure to be here by then."

In agreement of what to do, Cabba glanced towards the downed Caulifla furtively. "What about her?"

"Eh, I'm sure that she'll get over this, buy a ship, and become an international punk that beats the shit out of people for shit's and giggles one day." Naruto nodded to himself, certain his prophecy was accurate. "Yep, I can see it."

"…Are you saying that she's gonna become an interplanetary criminal?" wasn't that irresponsible?

"Nah, she'll be alright." the blond patted him on the back, steering him towards a section of the forest that _wasn't_ destroyed. "…Probably. C'mon, we should hammer out the details in terms of supplies and other stuff while I practice; maybe you could also give me some tips on how to fully control ki waves too."

"I wouldn't go _that_ far…"

Watching the two boys vanish into the remains of the forest without a care in the world, Kale chose to regard the borderline introspective Caulifla, who's usually sharp eyes –always focused upon the present, seemed distant.

"Hey, Kale?" the shy saiyan already had a bad feeling; this woman, as much as she admired her, had always been a loose cannon at the best of times. "I wanna try something."

Renso overhead this and shook his head, expressing his chagrin at what his hardheaded sister had come up with this time around. At least he felt that way until she continued on with her conversation with Kale; who looked about as alarmed as someone as shy as her could look.

He was a different story altogether.

* * *

The night had fallen the following day in short order and Cabba had managed to arrive at the discussed time, holding a few packs over his shoulders for the trip. Naruto also stood by him, admiring his ship from the outside and then shaking hands with Renso for his time. "I really do appreciate your help and your lead; hopefully this trip goes off without a hitch."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about the best laid plans." the veteran noted wryly, squarely turning to Cabba. "Take care of each other out there, it's a dangerous universe filled with scumbags."

"We will. Hopefully." Cabba honestly couldn't say for sure when around this blond. "Please tell Caulifla-san the next time you see her that I'm sorry for the fight-"

"Don't apologize to her for that bit, she probably won't take it well." Renso advised sagely, crossing his arms. "She's a firecracker, that one. Best just let bygones be bygones." he cracked a single eye open and regarded Naruto, serious. "Brat, just so you're aware, I left you a few surprises in your ship earlier today. Some things you may like, mostly. Alright?"

"Right, right." Only half paying attention, the shinobi saluted and took the first steps on the ramp of the ship to drop off the supplies he had scavenged across the forest for food and other necessities, Cabba following closely after him. "See ya later, Renso-jii-chan! We'll have a hell of a story to give ya when we get back!"

"I'm counting on it!" Naruto heard the older man retort before the ramp slid shut, giving the teen the chance to finally put his things away. It was during this process that he noticed something interesting within the cargo hold of the freighter he had stolen. Within the formerly empty space there were now packs there that didn't belong to either himself or Cabba; were those the things that Renso told him about?

Weren't there a little too many of them though?

He reached out to grab the nearest bag, a big and seemingly personalized duffel bag that had a _skul sticker_ of all things on it-

 _"Oi, you shouldn't touch a lady's things, right?"_

Naruto jumped a little too high in the air than he liked, spinning on his foot to gape at the entrance of the cargo hold, witnessing a sight that made his jaw drop. A woman with a familiar tube top, baggy pants, dark eyes, and _very_ spiky dark hair leaned on the entrance's frame with a leather biker jacket over her shoulders, grinning toothily without a care.

The fact that he genuinely didn't know she was there told Naruto that he was becoming way too lax in his vigilance. "What the hell are you doing here, lady!?"

"I ain't a lady, I'm a punk." she retorted in kind, thumbing at a figure that was hiding behind her, peering at him over her shoulder. "And it ain't just me either; Kale is here too. As for why we're here; isn't it obvious?" she grinned viciously. "We want in!"

"…And you couldn't have told me this because…?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

Karma was a bitch, apparently.

* * *

 **AN: Okay, this was more of a set up for later. Sorry for taking so long; I actually had this almost done for 2 weeks now, but I kept postponing this for working on other stuff. My bad, everyone. :3**

 **This fic probably won't have any focus on romance btw, I figured this when I finally got to finishing this chapter. Dragon Ball in general isn't much about romance anyway, so best to focus on the actual adventure.**

 **Edit: That being said; it'll be a Naru x Caulifla if any romance at all, forgot to mention that. :I**

 **See you all next time!**

 **-RekkingPride**


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